Baghdad vs. Damascus: a walk in Abū l-Hakam's shoes
Abū l-Hakam’s poem on badly made shoes doesn’t just champion Damascus over Baghdad. It’s truly invested in intellectual fun. … Read the post Baghdad vs. Damascus: a walk in Abū l-Hakam's shoes
Ibn Abi Usaybiah
Here’s some analysis and commentary on Ibn Abi Usaybi’ah’s History of Physicians, which was written in Arabic in thirteenth-century Damascus. Ibn Abi Usaybi’ah’s book describes physicians and medical practices from the origin of medicine to the thirteenth century.
Ibn Abi Usaybi’ah’s book is now freely available online with Arabic text, English translation, commentary, and interpretive essays: Savage-Smith, Emilie, Simon Swain, G. J. H. van Gelder, and Ignacio Javier Sánchez Rojo. 2020. A literary history of medicine: the ‘Uyūn al-anbā’ fī ṭabaqāt al-aṭibbā’ of Ibn Abīuṣaybi’ah {The Best Accounts of the Classes of Physicians}. 5 vols. Handbook of Oriental studies. Section One, Near and Middle East, volume 134/1. Leiden: Brill.
Marian aretalogy of an impious Christian physician to Abbasid caliphs
An aretalogy fragment from the early Abbasid caliphate features the Christian physician Yūhannā ibn Māsawayhi, known also for being crude and impious. … Read the post Marian aretalogy of an impious Christian physician to Abbasid caliphs
Bakhtīshū chooses season for relaxation
The tale of Bakhtīshū’s great wealth evokes the wonder and marvel of fabulous, season-dominating luxury. That Bakhtīshū was Christian doesn’t figure. … Read the post Bakhtīshū chooses season for relaxation
ibn Butlān and ibn Ridwān in vicious intellectual competition
In the 11th century, the eminent physicians ibn Butlān and ibn Ridwān viciously disputed the question “which is warmer, the chick or the chicken?” … Read the post ibn Butlān and ibn Ridwān in vicious intellectual competition
managing patients: physicians serving early Islamic rulers
Physicians were highly influential figures in rulers’ courts in the early Islamic world, but managing ruler-patients was far from easy. … Read the post managing patients: physicians serving early Islamic rulers