Arabic epic literature
Arabic epic literature encompasses
epic fantasy in Arabic literature. Virtually all societies have developed folk tales encompassing tales of heroes. Although many of these are legends
, many are based on real events and historical figures.
Popular epic
Taghribat Bani Hilal is an Arabic epic recounting the Banu Hilal's journey from Egypt to Tunisia and conquest of the latter in the 11th century. It was declared one of mankind's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO
in 2003.
In the 13th century, an Arabic epic poem entitled Antar was created based on
Étienne Dinet published his translation of Antar, which brought Antar bin Shaddad to European notice.[1] It has been followed by a number of derivative works such as Diana Richmond's Antar and Abla,[2] which furthered Western
exposure to the Antar bin Shaddad legends.
Fantasy epic literature
The Arabic culture.
The stories of
Sinbad
, is from the Tales.
The Thousand and One Nights is usually placed in the genre of Arabic epic literature along with several other works. They are usually, like the Tales, collections of short stories or episodes strung together into a long tale. The extant versions were mostly written down relatively late on, after the 14th century, although many were undoubtedly collected earlier and many of the original stories are probably pre-Islamic. Types of stories in these collections include
animal fables, proverbs, stories of jihad or propagation of the faith, humorous tales, moral tales, tales about the wily con-man Ali Zaybaq
and tales about the prankster Juha.
The epic took form in the 10th century and reached its final form by the 14th century; the number and type of tales have varied from one manuscript to another.[3] All Arabian fantasy tales were often called "Arabian Nights" when translated into English, regardless of whether they appeared in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, in any version, and a number of tales are known in Europe as "Arabian Nights" despite existing in no Arabic manuscript.[3]
This epic has been influential in the West since it was translated in the 18th century, first by
genies, bahamuts, magic carpets, magic lamps, etc.[5] When L. Frank Baum proposed writing a modern fairy tale that banished stereotypical elements, he included the genie as well as the dwarf and the fairy as stereotypes to go.[6]
Arabian Nights was not the only Fantasy story that exist in Arabic epic literature. Arabic short stories scripts was discovered in 1933 when
Ayasofya and translated it into his mother tongue.[7] An Arabic edition was belatedly printed in 1956. It contains stories from the Arab world the stories originating in the 10th century,[8] the title page of this medieval Arab story collection has been lost, but the opening sentence of its introduction declares that these are "al-hikayat al-‘ajiba wa’l-akhbar al-ghariba", which translate in english to "Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange".[7] The Ottoman sultan Selim the Grim, having defeated the Mamluks in two major battles in Syria and Egypt. The sultan celebrated his victory by taking Arabic manuscripts and then shipped to Istanbul and distributed among the city’s mosques. This is probably how the manuscript of Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange ended up in the library of the great mosque of Ayasofya. The stories are very old, more than 1,000 years old, Six of these stories were later included in the Arabian Nights, but most of the stories are quite new and are not found in the Arabian nights stories.[8][7] Tales of the Marvellous includes tales of the supernatural, romances, comedy, Bedouin derring-do and one story dealing in apocalyptic prophecy. The contents page indicates that the complete manuscript contained 42 chapters, of which only 18 chapters containing 26 tales have survived.[7]
Liber scalae Machometi, "The Book of Muhammad's Ladder") concerning Muhammad's ascension to Heaven, and the spiritual writings of Ibn Arabi
.
Science fiction
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Al-Risalah al-Kamiliyyah fil Siera al-Nabawiyyah (The Treatise of Kamil on the Prophet's Biography), known in
science and philosophy. For example, it was through this novel that Ibn al-Nafis introduces his scientific theory of metabolism,[10] and he makes references to his own scientific discovery of the pulmonary circulation in order to explain bodily resurrection.[11]
The novel was later translated into English as Theologus Autodidactus in the early 20th century.
A number of
jinn,[16] and, along the way, encounter a mummified queen, petrified inhabitants,[17] lifelike humanoid robots and automata, seductive marionettes dancing without strings,[18] and a brass horseman robot who directs the party towards the ancient city. "The Ebony Horse" features a robot[19] in the form of a flying mechanical horse controlled using keys that could fly into outer space and towards the Sun,[20] while the "Third Qalandar's Tale" also features a robot in the form of an uncanny boatman.[19] "The City of Brass" and "The Ebony Horse" can be considered early examples of proto-science fiction.[21]
Other examples of early Arabic proto-science fiction include
flying carpet.[22]
List
Here is a list of famous
Arabic language
:
- One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights)
- Sirat Antara Ibn Shaddadسيرة عنترة بن شداد
- Sirat al-Zahir Baibarsسيرة الظاهر بيبرس
- Sirat Bani Hilal تغريبة بني هلال
- Sirat Sayf Ibn Dhi Yazanسيرة سيف بن ذي يزن
- Sirat Dhat al-Himma, Arabic queen tale سيرة ذات الهمة
- Sirat prince Hamza al-Bahlawn سيرة الأمير حمزة البهلوان
- Sirat Ali al-Zaibak سيرة علي الزيبق
- Sirat Sayf al-Tijan سيرة سيف التيجان
- al-Sirah al-Hussainyya. السيرة الحسينية
- Mal'abat Al-Kafif az-Zarhuni ملعبة الكفيف الزرهوني
- The Tale of Al-Shater Hassan قصة الشاطر حسن
- The Tale of Zir Salimقصة الزير سالم
- The Tale of King Luqman bin Aad قصة الملك لقمان بن عاد, According to the Tale He is the brother of Shaddad bin Aad
- Layla and Majnun in Arabic Majnun layla (مجنون ليلى) romantic epic (also known as Qays wa Laila, "Qays & Laila").
- Arab-Andalusian love story about Bayad, a merchant's son and a foreigner from Damascus, for Riyad, a well-educated slave girl in the court of an unnamed Hajib(vizier or minister) and his daughter.
- Tarikhul Hind wal Sindتاريخ الهند والسند
- Futuh al-Sham (Conquests of Syria) ascribed to al-Waqidi (disputed)
See also
- Arabic literature
- Alwah, a journal of Arabic literature
References
- ^ Pouillon, Francois (1997) Les deux vies d'Étienne Dinet, peintre en Islam: L'Algerie et l'heritage colonial Editions Balland, Paris;
- ISBN 0-7043-2162-9
- ^ ISBN 0-312-19869-8
- ISBN 0-87054-076-9
- ^ ISBN 0-312-19869-8
- ISBN 0-380-86553-X
- ^ a b c d Irwin, Robert. "The earliest known Arabic short stories in the world have just been translated into English for the first time". INDEPENDENT. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ a b Lowry, Elizabeth. "Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange review – a medieval Fifty Shades of Grey?". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ I. Heullant-Donat and M.-A. Polo de Beaulieu, "Histoire d'une traduction," in Le Livre de l'échelle de Mahomet, Latin edition and French translation by Gisèle Besson and Michèle Brossard-Dandré, Collection Lettres Gothiques, Le Livre de Poche, 1991, p. 22 with note 37.
- ^ Dr. Abu Shadi Al-Roubi (1982), "Ibn al-Nafis as a philosopher", Symposium on Ibn al-Nafis, Second International Conference on Islamic Medicine: Islamic Medical Organization, Kuwait (cf. Ibnul-Nafees As a Philosopher, Encyclopedia of Islamic World [1])
- ^ ISBN 1-86064-983-1
- ISBN 1-86064-983-1
- ISBN 1-86064-983-1
- ISBN 90-04-09530-6
- ISBN 1-86064-983-1
- ^ ISBN 90-04-09530-6
- ISBN 0-19-275013-5
- ^ Academic Literature, Islam and Science Fiction
- ^ Achmed A. W. Khammas, Science Fiction in Arabic Literature
External links
- Al Jazeera article: Epic tales of Arab bravery (archived 16 December 2005)
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