Hariri's Maqamat

Timeline

1. c. 1108–1111Basra · MesopotamiaAl-Hariri inherited the maqamat form pioneered by al-Hamadhani, composing fifty assemblies with denser diction, wordplay, and grammatical puzzles. The stories are built around the meetings of the holy rogue Abu Zayd and the narrator Harith, and are in fact a textbook demonstrating Arabic rhetoric.
2. 1111–1122Cities of Iraq and Syria · SyriaWithin ten years of completion, the Maqamat was being transcribed as a textbook of rhetoric and grammar. Al-Hariri himself taught the difficult passages in Baghdad and elsewhere until his death in 1122. Its textual standing quickly surpassed earlier maqamat works.
3. 1237Baghdad · IraqIn the 13th century illustrated Maqamat manuscripts appeared, exemplified by Yahya al-Wasiti's 1237 manuscript, visualizing scenes of street life, merchants, and court. Thereafter the book circulated both as a linguistic classic and as a key subject in the history of Islamic miniature painting.