Farida (singer)
Faridah al-Saghir (Arabic: فريدة الصغير, born c. 830) also simply known as Faridah (Arabic: فريدة) was an Abbasid qayna (enslaved singing-girl), who performed in the court of Abbasid caliph al-Wathiq (r. 842–847) and al-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861).[1]
Faridah al-Saghir فريدة الصغير | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 830 Abbasid Caliphate |
| Died | 860s/70s Samarra, Abbasid Caliphate |
| Resting place | Samarra |
| Occupation | Qiyan |
| Language | Arabic |
| Nationality | Caliphate |
| Period | Abbasid Era |
| Spouse | al-Mutawakkil (m. 847) |
Originally a singing-girl belonging to the musician Amr ibn Bana, Farida was presented as a gift to Al-Wathiq.[1] She studied with Shāriyah, and achieved prominence at the courts of both Al-Wathiq and his successor Al-Mutawakkil. An admirer of Ishaq al-Mawsili, she defended his reputation when it was attacked.[2]
Faridah was also pupil of Fadl al-Sha'irah.[3] She was a excel lent performer. The meaning of her name Faridah was solitaire, she was mostly known as Faridah al-Saghir meaning Faridah the younger.
Al-Mutawakkil's only wife was Faridah. She belonged to the household of his brother Caliph al-Wathiq, who kept her as a concubine and favorite although she previously belonged to the singer Amr ibn Banah. When al-Wathiq died (al-Wathiq died as the result of edema, likely from liver damage or diabetes, while being seated in an oven in an attempt to cure it,[4][5] on 10 August 847),[6] Amr presented her to al-Mutawakkil. He married her, and she became one of his favorites.[7]
References
- Commire, Anne; Klezmer, Deborah, eds. (2006). "Farida (c. 830–?)". Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages.
- Farmer, Henry George. A history of Arabian music to the XIIIth century. pp. 162–3.
- Farmer 1929, p. 162-3.
- Kennedy 2006, p. 232.
- Turner 2013, pp. 228–229.
- Kan 2012, p. 549.
- Ibn al-Sāʿī 2017, p. 53.
Sources
- Ibn al-Sāʿī (2017). Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. Translated by Shawkat M. Toorawa and the Editors of the Library of Arabic Literature. Introduction by Julia Bray. Foreword by Marina Warner. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 978-1-4798-0477-1.
- Turner, John P. (2013). "The Enigmatic Reign of al-Wāthiq (r. 227/842-232/847)". In Bernards, Monique (ed.). ʿAbbāsid Studies IV. Occasional Papers of the School of ʿAbbāsid Studies, Leuven, July 5 – July 9, 2010. Gibb Memorial Trust. pp. 218–231. ISBN 978-0-906094-98-3.
- Kennedy, Hugh (2006). When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306814808.
- Kan, Kadir (2012). "Vâsiḳ-Billâh". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 42 (Tütün – Vehran) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies. pp. 548–549. ISBN 978-975-389-737-2.
- Farmer, Henry George (1929). A history of Arabian music to the XIIIth century.