Safiyya al-Baghdadiyya

Safiyya al-Baghdadiyya (Arabic: صفية البغدادية) was a Medieval Arabic poet writing during the 12th Century CE. This late period of the Abbasids has been called a Golden Age which 'created a liberal, but elite, society keen to enjoy Allah's earthly gifts'.^[1]

Safiyya صفية
Born	Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate (now Iraq)
Died	Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate
Resting place	Baghdad
Pen name	Safiyya al-Baghdadiyya (صفية البغدادية)
Occupation	Arabic Poet
Language	Arabic
Nationality	Caliphate
Period	Islamic Golden Age (Later Abbasid era)

Career

The diwans (collected poems) of female poets were not as well recorded, and little is known about al-Baghdadiyya's life. Her poem 'I am the wonder' is collected in Abdulla al-Udhari's Classical Poems by Arab Women (1999).^[2] Al-Udhari notes in the book that 'Nothing is known about the poet'.^[3] The poem demonstrates al-Baghdadiyya's liberal outlook and remarkable self-confidence:

I am the wonder of the world, the ravisher of hearts and minds.
Once you’ve seen my stunning looks, you’re a fallen man.

References

1. ltd, codegent. "Poetry Magazines - Classical Poems by Arab Women". www.poetrymagazines.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
2. "Table of Contents: Classical poems by Arab women /". libweb.grinnell.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
3. al-Udhari, Abdullah (2017). Classical Poems by Arab Women. London: Saqi Book. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-86356-047-7.

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