An Islamic Civilization in Europe: Andalusia – 13
■ Ibrahim Sediyani
– continued from last chapter –
■ A PORTRAIT | THE GREATEST ARTIST OF ANDALUSIAN ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION: KURDISH MUSICIAN ZIRYAB
Can a single person change the world?
If we think with a normal human mind; such a thing seems very difficult and impossible. However, when we delve into the depths of history, the historical journey of the living species called humans on the planet we live on continues to surprise us.
Because, as I said in another book I wrote and researched ancient civilizations and the history of religions: “We live on such a planet that reality is more fantastic than dreams.”
The Andalusian Islamic Civilization (711 – 1492), a magnificent civilization, has had extraordinary effects on Eastern (Muslim and Jewish) and Western (Christian and Jewish) cultures not only in terms of science, literature, architecture, geography, and urbanism, but also in terms of art, and is a magnificent historical heritage whose lasting effects still continue.
The most magnificent artist of this magnificent civilization is the Kurdish musician Ziryab (Zêrav), or with his real name Abu Hasan Ali ibn Nafi (Bavey Hasan Ali kurey Nafi) (789 – 857), known as the “Sun of Art of Andalusia”.
The greatest artist of the Andalusian Islamic Civilization. In fact, in terms of his influence, perhaps the greatest artist in world history.
The Kurdish musician Ziryab was truly a “miracle” person. There are few, if not none, like him in history. Because Ziryab is a concrete example that a person can change a country, even a continent, and even a person can change the world on his own. Ziryab is an unparalleled example of how a person can change the sociological and cultural face of the world on his own.
He made such a cultural revolution that there is no equivalent to this great revolution in human history.
Before we start explaining the subject, it is useful to know three important points:
1 – When you read this article about Ziryab, you will really have a hard time believing what we are going to tell you. You will not believe what you read. You are not wrong in this, because believing is really hard. It is really hard for us to believe, to believe, rationally and logically that such a person could have lived and done all these things.
2 – However, despite this, all these are real, they are historical facts that the world accepts. In other words, although they are “unbelievable”, they are historical facts that the whole world, historians and scientists accept as true. None of them are fabrications, they are not even exaggerations. They are all real.
3 – Ziryab is a Kurdish musician and just as what he did is a fact, his being a Kurd is not open to debate. The whole world accepts that he is a Kurd, historians and scientists are in complete agreement that he is a Kurd. In other words, just as what he did is not open to debate, his being a Kurd is also a definite fact.
I would like you, our dear readers, to take these three points into consideration when reading this article. This is not a study like some of our previous works, which says “nobody knew this, but we discovered it”. There is nothing here that the world does not know but we discovered it. In this article, we will convey information that all historians and scientists know and that the whole world accepts.
What did Ziryab do?
It is really hard to believe, but all of these are real, historical facts:
* The Kurdish musician Ziryab was the first person to open a music school on the European continent. The music school that Ziryab opened and directed included not only Muslim and Jewish students, but also Christian students from many European countries. These people came to Andalusia (Spain) from France and Italy, and even from Switzerland and Germany, studied music and art at Ziryab’s school in Córdoba, and returned to their own countries. With the music of the Kurdish musician Ziryab, they contributed to the awakening movement that laid the first seeds of the “Reform” and “Renaissance” movements centuries later in Europe.
* Ziryab, who became famous in the multi-religious and multi-cultural Andalusia in a short time throughout Iberia primarily as a musician, contributed to the Andalusian Spanish-Catalonian cultural heritage by blending the traditional Kurdish music of dengbêj and especially Kurdistan and Mesopotamian melodies with Arab, Berber and African motifs and enriching his knowledge in the places he lived before coming to the city of Kortoba (Córdoba).
* Before Ziryab, the oud was a four-stringed instrument and these corresponded to the four natures. Ziryab was the person who added the fifth string to the oud and after him and still is a five-stringed instrument everywhere.
* Ziryab, a Kurdish musician, also brought the instrument saz called “tambur” by the Kurds to Spain, which is used heavily in Kurdistan when singing music. Europe was introduced to the saz.
* Ziryab also brought the tar and setar to Córdoba, and this instrument later evolved into the Spanish guitar.
* The inventor of flamenco music is also the Kurdish musician Ziryab, one of the first things that comes to mind when Spain is mentioned today.
* The influence of Ziryab, the inventor of today’s guitar and flamenco music, is not limited to Europe, but extends all the way to South America. Likewise, the famous music genres of the Latin American world, “tango” in Argentina, “milonga” in Uruguay and “samba” in Brazil, became famous and widespread thanks to Ziryab.
* North Africans currently see Kurdish musician Ziryab as the ancestor of their own music.
* Ziryab’s daughter Hamdunah, this noble Kurdish woman, is the person who opened the first music school for girls in Europe and the world.
* In Europe, people used to eat on the floor. The culture of eating at the table was started by the Kurdish genius Ziryab, which is a global culture today and meals are eaten at the table all over the world. The magnificent Kurdish genius Ziryab also taught the world how to use a fork and knife.
* Before Ziryab, meals were served plainly on a bare floor. When the floor table was set up, all the food was laid out on the table as if having a picnic. Ziryab was the person who started the meal by having all the dishes on the table in a certain order instead of having them laid out on the table as if having a picnic, and starting with soup and ending with dessert, which is still the global food culture all over the world. The person who invented and popularized the method of eating in stages (first soup, then the main course, and finally dessert) in Spain in the 9th century was the Kurdish genius Ziryab, and from there it spread to other European countries and then to the whole world.
* Ziryab taught people to serve food, which had been served on gold or silver plates until then, on crystal plates. Because glassware was easier to wash and clean, more beautiful and cheaper to obtain than others.
* Ziryab is the name of the person who took the Andalusian society to the next level in terms of culture, customs and habits. He knew table manners well; he had tablecloths spread on banquet tables, and ensured that a few multi-purpose handkerchiefs / napkins were kept during the meal, and that they were used for purposes such as wiping the mouth and hands, and hanging from the neck to the chest to protect from stains.
* In Europe, people used to drink their drinks from metal bowls. The miraculous Kurd Ziryab was the one who taught them to drink drinks in elegant glass cups and started this culture. Using silver plates and glass cups (goblets) is his work.
* Ziryab also started the culture of drinking wine and the tradition of eating food with wine.
* The Kurdish genius Ziryab, a miraculous man, brought recipes from the world’s most delicious cuisine, the Kurdish cuisine, and diversified them with the Arab, Berber and Spanish-Catalonian cuisines of other cultures he knew, creating a new culinary culture that was almost identical to himself. One of these recipes still takes its place on tables in Spain and surrounding countries with his name: “Ziriabí” (Ziryabī).
* Today in Europe and Africa, especially in Spain and Morocco, there are dishes, desserts, pastries and cakes named after the immortal Kurdish mind Ziryab, and these flavors still adorn the tables in these ancient geographies.
* In the past, toothpastes had a bad and unpleasant taste, just like the taste of medicines. Instead, Ziryab is the person who created the sweet and pleasant-smelling toothpaste that is used all over the world today, like sugar. That is why the great Kurdish sage Ziryab is considered the inventor of the toothbrush and toothpaste all over the world today.
* Ziryab is the person who invented a deodorant made of myrrh to get rid of bad odors. Until then, no one in Andalusia used this, and the kings used rose water or basil to get rid of the smell of sweat.
* The Kurdish inventor and sage Ziryab also suggested that the Andalusian people use soft and thin bedding instead of linen and feather sheets and duvet covers in their beds. In addition, he taught them to use salt to whiten laundry and remove oil stains from dishes. When people tried this method, they thanked him.
* Ziryab was an important trendsetter of his time, creating schools of fashion, hairstyles and hygiene. His students carried these trends to Europe and North Africa. For centuries and still today, many cosmetics companies use Ziryab’s name, dozens of hotels, restaurants etc. are named “Ziryab”, and many musicians dedicate albums and songs to Ziryab.
* Before Ziryab, there was no style of clothing according to the season; people would wear thin clothes when the weather was hot and thick clothes when it was cold. This was the whole style of clothing. Ziryab also taught the world what and how to wear. He did not stop at showing people how to dress according to the season, he even created a new fashion with lively and colorful clothes. Ziryab started a fashion by changing clothes according to the weather and season. Accordingly; white and light colored light clothes were worn during the summer, colored silk clothes in the spring, and thick and woolen clothes in the fall and winter.
* Ziryab suggested different clothes not only according to the seasons and months, but also for the times of the day, which were morning, afternoon and evening.
* In terms of clothing, he introduced the black or navy blue vertical striped clothes on cotton fabric, which are common in Kurdistan and Mesopotamia, to Spain and Europe, and this style of clothing was very popular. This style of clothing is still present, especially in Morocco and other North African countries. The striped pajamas, which belong to the traditional clothing style of the Kurds and which we wear especially inside the house, and which we call “Ghafur pajamas” because of the character “Ghafur” who constantly wears this outfit in a TV series in Turkey, were introduced in Spain by the Kurdish intellect Ziryab and made popular. Later, this type of clothing became the clothing of various societies, cultures and institutions, and then sports clubs. This is the reason why football teams in sports leagues in all countries of the world today wear two-color striped jerseys. In other words, even the two-color striped jerseys of today’s football teams are originally based on the traditional striped pajamas of the Kurds.
* Ziryab also determined the hair styles of Spain and the Europeans. Before his arrival, European women and men were growing their hair long and combing it in the middle, covering their ears and cheeks. He started a new fashion with his short hair style, where he shortened the bangs to cover the forehead and let the side locks hang down towards the ears. He also made shaving popular among men and determined new haircut trends. Ziryab also cut his own and his wife’s hair in these styles. The shaving style we know and call “American shaving” today is actually the “Kurdish shaving” invented by the Kurdish mind Ziryab.
* Ziryab’s two daughters, Oulayyah and Hamdunah, were the first people to open beauty salons for women in Europe and the world. These noble Kurdish women opened the first beauty salons in the world. These two Kurdish sisters opened these first beauty salons in today’s Seville, Spain. These magnificent Kurdish women created hair styles that were daring for the time. Here they developed and taught beauty and skin care methods.
* Under the influence of the Kurdish mind Ziryab, there were changes even in the furniture styles in Spain and Europe. Kitchen work and table arrangements were elevated to the level of an art.
* The Kurdish mind Ziryab is also the person who brought and introduced the world’s most serious and intelligent game of chess to Europe. At that time, its name was “shahmat” and it is still called by this name in European countries.
* The Kurdish genius Ziryab also took the Kurds’ Zoroastrian national holidays of Newroz (Nowruz) and Mehregan with him to Spain. After Ziryab went to those lands and made a cultural revolution there, the Newroz holiday was celebrated as an “official holiday” by the Andalusian Islamic Civilization every March 21.
* The first flying human design also belongs to him. Abbas ibn Firnas, a Berber astronomer trained by Ziryab, later became the first person in human history to fly.
Yes… It is hard to believe, but all of these are true, and in this article we will tell you all of them with evidence and sources.
Before explaining the importance of Ziryab and what he did, we need to present his biography…
Ziryab (Zêrav), whose real name is Bavey Hasan Ali kurey Nafi (Abu Hasan Ali ibn Nafi), was born in 789 in a village in the province of Mosul in Southern Kurdistan. (780)
He is the only child of a Kurdish family living near Mosul. (781)
Ziryab was a Kurd and this is a fact that is accepted by the whole world and that historians and academics agree on. In other words, Ziryab’s Kurdishness is not a subject open to debate. Although there are claims in some places that he was Persian, Arab, or even of African origin, these are all claims made for political purposes and efforts to hide and conceal Ziryab’s Kurdishness. They are mostly futile attempts by circles that “want to claim Ziryab as their own”, as they did to all other similar great Kurdish figures in history. These are not claims to be taken seriously. Because Ziryab’s being a Kurd is a fact that is clearly stated in both Islamic and Western sources and accepted by the whole world.
The Berber sociologist Ibn Khaldun or with his full name Waleyeddin abu Zejd Abdurrahman bin Mohammad ibn Khaldun al-Hadrami (1332 – 1406), who is considered the founder of the science of sociology, says that Ziryab was born in 789 to a Kurdish family in Mosul. (782)
Sigrid Hunke (1913 – 99), a German expert in the history of religions, theologian, doctor of philosophy and professor of Germanistics, says:
“A young Kurdish boy named Ziryab was a student at the school of Master Ishaq, the son of Ibrahim Mosuli.
He believed that such young artists, even if they were famous, would not pose a threat to his reputation. He believed that his fame would be even more popular and would support his school.” (783)
The valuable work titled “La vie Quotidienne des Musulmans au Moyen Âge: Xe au XIIIe Siècle” (Daily Life of Muslims in the Middle Ages: X. – XIII. Century) written in French by Iranian sociologist, historian and Iranian history expert Ali Mazaheri (1914 – 91) was published in Paris, the capital of France, in 1951. (784) The book was translated into Turkish in 1972 by Bahriye Üçok (1919 – 90), a valuable historian and theology academic from Trabzon who was the first female theologian in Turkey and was treacherously assassinated by Islamist organizations (or the deep state) because of her secular ideas, and published in Istanbul under the title “Muslims’ Lives in the Middle Ages”. In this rare work, the section about Ziryab is as follows:
“In the IXth century, the Kurdish musician Ziryab, who was famous for his elegance and grace, introduced the Baghdad fashion to Córdoba. He not only taught the Córdoba people the fine art of dyeing, plucking and cutting their hair short and in a bun; he also taught them the fashion of wearing white from the beginning of June to the end of September.
He also explained that spring was the season of brightly colored light silks; in winter, fleece robes and fur coats should be worn. Under his indisputable authority, the palace and the city changed their customs.
When this fashion was seen in many fashion houses even centuries later, Ziryab’s name could still be mentioned.” (785)
French historian, writer and orientalist Thomas Bois (1900 – 75) says the following:
“Ziryab, the famous musician who added the fifth string to the oud during the Abbasid period, was originally a Kurd.” (786)
Arab historian Muhammad Maheeman Ibrahim (? – ?) also says the following:
“I researched all the sources, historical documents, foreign researchers, academics and orientalists about Ziryab’s origins and I concluded that Ziryab’s origins were Kurdish.” (787)
German Iranologist, Arabologist and orientalist Paul Schwarz (1867 – 1938) also states the following:
“Ziryab was a young Kurd who was one of the most brilliant students of Ishaq al-Mosuli, who was known for his extraordinary musical talent.” (788)
The Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan or with his full name Abu Marwan Hayyan ibn Khalaf ibn Hūseyn ibn Hayyan ibn Muhammad ibn Hayyan al-Kortobi al-Andalusi (987 – 1075), who was a descendant of a Spanish family that had converted to Islam and was born two hundred years later in Kortoba (Córdoba), the city where Ziryab died, said that Ziryab’s family was a family that was the mawālī (mawlā) of the Abbasid Caliph Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Mansur ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mehdi-Billah (745 – 85). (789)
The Algerian historian and biographer Shehabaddin abu Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Maqqari al-Tilmisani (1577 – 1632) also stated, based on Ibn Hayyan, that Ziryab’s family was a mawālī of the Abbasid Caliph Mehdi-Billah. (790)
Apart from these, other sources have also reported the same information. (791) According to the “Encyclopaedia of Islam”, Ziryab’s family was a mawālī of the Abbasid Caliph Mehdi-Billah. (792)
The fact that Ziryab’s family was a mawālī (mawlā) means that they were freed slaves. Despite this, they could stay with their former masters and serve them; but now they were free individuals. (793)
There is no information about the family or tribe of the Kurdish Ziryab. He probably came from a Zoroastrian family that was later “Islamized”. However, in Ziryab’s family tree in Islamic sources, there is only the phrase “Abu Hasan Ali ibn Nafi” (Hasan’s father and Nafi’s son Ali). In other words, his father’s name is only mentioned as “ibn Nafi” (Nafi’s son). The fact that the name of his grandfather is not given in the identifier indicating Ziryab’s family in Islamic sources and that there is no mention of him becoming a Muslim in the early periods of Islam suggests that Ziryab’s grandfather was not a Muslim and his family became Muslim later. (794)
Born in 789 in a village near Mosul in Southern Kurdistan as the only child of a Kurdish family, Ali (Ziryab) spent his childhood in his village. While still a child, he attracted attention with his beautiful voice. Singing songs with his beautiful voice at weddings and various celebrations, little Ali first became known in his own village and then in Mosul and its surroundings. He was now like a “local artist”. Because of his beautiful voice that captivated his listeners, he was nicknamed “Zêrav” (ﺰﻳﺮﺍﭪ) in the region he lived in, meaning “Golden Water” in Kurdish. Ali was now called Zêrav by the locals. (795)
When Ali (Ziryab) was still a child, his family moved from Mosul to Baghdad. Baghdad, the capital of today’s Iraq, was also the capital of the Abbasid Empire (750 – 1517) at the time. Baghdad was also an important center of music in the Muslim world. (796)
The Abbasid Caliph at that time was Abu Djafar Harun ar-Rashid ibn Muhammad al-Mehdi-Billah ibn Abdullah al-Mansour (766 – 809), known simply as Harun ar-Rashid.
A brief summary of the developments in music in Baghdad and its surroundings before Ziryab:
We can say that music had a predominantly worldly importance in the pre-Islamic period. The famous Kazakh philosopher, logician, mathematician and musician Farabi or with his full name Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Tarhan ibn Ozlogh al-Farabi (872 – 951), who founded Islamic philosophy in terms of methodology and terminology, in his work titled “Kitab’ul- Musika’l- Kebir” (Great Book of Music), which consists of two parts, states that the people of Baghdad used an instrument called “tanbur al-Baghdadi” or “al-mizani” during this period, and says that this provided the tone scale and musical scale. In the early periods of Islam, there was no innovation in fine arts, especially in music, in the Arabs, and during the Four Caliphs period, relations established with new cultures together with the “conquests” brought about innovations in song forms, and a new style emerged called “al-ghina’l-moutqan”. During the Umayyad period, the artistic value of music increased, music was used as a political figure and musicians were also included in the palaces. However, music experienced its real “Renaissance” during the Abbasid period. (797)
During this period, most of those who were professionally involved in music were Kurds with the status of “mawālī” (mawlā). While Greek and Semitic cultures were a contributing factor in the emergence of Islamic music, the influence of Iran and Kurdistan was also seen in terms of instruments. Kurds in particular were the driving force of the art of music during this period, and music was sought after by Kurdish figures. As the Berber sociologist Ibn Khaldun, who is considered the founder of sociology, said, “Arabs generally looked down on pursuits such as music and art because they were preoccupied with the ambition of power. For this reason, if we consider that during the Abbasid period, developments in this field were left mostly to mawālī (non-Arab Muslims), this issue will be more understandable.” (798)
(How similar were the Arabs of that period to the Turkish and Kurdish communities in today’s Turkey…)
While he was still a child, Ziryab, whose family moved from Mosul to Baghdad, was enrolled in a music school there and became a student of the most famous music masters of this period of the Abbasids, the musician and muganni Ibrahim ibn Mahan ibn Bahman ibn an-Nūsk al-Mawsili (Mosuli) (742 – 804) and his son Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Mahan ibn Bahman ibn an-Nūsk al-Mawsili (Mosuli) (767 – 850), who were also Kurdish father and son from Mosul. All sources state that Ziryab was a student of the talented musician Ibrahim al-Mosuli and his son Ishaq al-Mosuli and that he traveled around the city accompanying them. (799)
Although we do not have any information on the educational method of Ishaq, who left his mark on the “ghina” school of this period and trained many students, the Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari describes the educational method of his student Ziryab as three stages:
a) teaching iqa’a, meter, lyrics
b) teaching simple modes
c) teaching zāide (800)
During this period, music was supported professionally by the state and the public. Historical and theoretical works on the science of music were written, and new musical terms and changes occurred, especially in rhythms. Famous musicians throughout the history of Islamic music were trained in this period, and many works on music and theory were also written in this period. (801)
The wealth of the statesmen and their immersion in a luxurious life also affected social life. During this period, an increase in the number of slaves is observed. So much so that almost everyone owned slaves and concubines. The Abbasids attached great importance to the education of their concubines. They trained their concubines, especially those with beautiful voices, in the art of music and singing, which allowed music to spread in a very wide area. Indeed, during that period, music found a place for itself almost everywhere, on the roads, in private and public places, in the palaces of the caliphs, emirs, governors and the rich, and in the homes of the poor. Places where singing was performed were opened in every district, and concubines sang songs in these places called “buyut’ul-qiyān”. Scholars, writers, judges, prominent figures and even Sufis did not hesitate to go to these entertainment centers. (802)
The period when Ziryab’s musical knowledge was formed was the period of Abu Muhammad Musa al-Hādī-Ilalhaqq ibn Muhammad al-Mehdi (764 – 86) and his brother Harun ar-Rashid, when the Abbasids were consolidating their power. It is known that the Abbasid caliphs gave great importance to music as well as science, art and culture. Caliph Al-Mehdi, who had a beautiful voice, had a special interest in music and organized musical meetings in his palace. (803)
During the reign of Caliph Harun ar-Rashid, many musicians were seen in the palace. During this period, many famous musicians became famous. In a place where there were so many artists, competition would naturally be inevitable. (804)
At a time when the art of music was experiencing its most popular and prestigious times in the Islamic world, a Kurdish boy named Ali, nicknamed Zêrav (Golden Water), who had a magnificent voice from a village in Mosul, came to Baghdad with his family and settled there. He became a student of Ibrahim al-Mosuli and his son Ishaq al-Mosuli, who were the most prestigious musicians of that most popular time in music and were themselves Kurds from Mosul.
The Spanish musician, writer and poet Ibn Abdurabbih or with his full name Shehabeddin Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abdurabbih ibn Habib al-Kortobi al-Andalusi (860 – 940), who was a descendant of a Spanish family that had converted to Islam and was born three years later in Kortoba (Córdoba), the city where Ziryab died, mentions that it was Ibrahim al-Mosuli who taught Ziryab music (805), while the Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari names both Ibrahim al-Mosuli and his son Ishaq al-Mosuli as his teachers (806). The fact that the dates of Ishaq al-Mosuli’s and Ziryab’s deaths are so close to each other may mean that they both took lessons from the same teacher, Ishaq’s father, Ibrahim al-Mosuli. Furthermore, considering that Ibrahim al-Mosuli died in 804, it is natural that Ziryab subsequently took lessons from his son Ishaq.
According to us, Ziryab took lessons from both Ibrahim al-Mosuli and his son Ishaq al-Mosuli. When he went to Baghdad as a child, he became Ibrahim al-Mosuli’s student, and when his teacher passed away, his son Ishaq al-Mosuli became Ziryab’s new teacher.
There is no information in the sources about whether Ziryab had any teachers other than Ibrahim al-Mosuli and his son Ishaq al-Mosuli. However, while Ziryab was receiving his education from the father and son Al-Mosulis, he must have encountered other music masters in some way, either with them, around them or in the palace.
Especially being away from the palaces of the caliphs and emirs and being familiar with developments in music provided Ziryab with many advantages. If we add to these characteristics that he gained in this colorful life, what he gained by being a student of Ibrahim al-Mosuli and later his son Ishaq al-Mosuli, it was inevitable for Ziryab to become a master of his own art. (807)
Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari writes that Ziryab was an intelligent young man who was well versed in his art. Ahmad al-Maqqari mentions that Ziryab had an eloquent tongue, a beautiful voice, a sweet temperament, and was also a poet who could write improvised poetry. He narrates that he was a student of Ishaq al-Mosuli and knew Ishaq’s songs well. Al-Maqqari also notes that Ziryab had a beautiful voice and handsome face, as well as a sound mind and understanding, and was even more talented and superior than his teacher Ishaq. (808)
We mentioned above that Ali bin Nafi was given the nickname “Zêrav”, which means “Golden Water” in Kurdish, when he was still a child in his hometown of Mosul, because he had a beautiful voice and it was obvious that he would be a talented artist. (809) After he settled in Baghdad, this nickname “Zêrav” (ﺰﻳﺮﺍﭪ) turned into “Ziryab” (زرياب). Because the word “Zêrav” cannot be pronounced in Arabic. There are no letters “ê” and “v” in Arabic. That is why he was called “Ziryab” and he used this qualification as a name throughout his life.
While Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari says that the nickname “Ziryab” was given to him in Iraq (810), Egyptian Islamic historian, journalist and writer Hūseyn Munis (1912 – 96) claims that this nickname was given to him in the city of Kairouan in Tunisia, where he was exiled (811).
So why “Ziryab”? What does this word mean and why was he called “Ziryab” (زرياب)?
First of all, we need to correct a mistake that the whole world knows is true:
According to almost all sources, the word “Ziryab” is the name of a black bird with a beautiful voice in Arabic, translated as “black bird” or “black thrush”. Ziryab was given this nickname because he was dark-skinned and had a good voice. (812)
However, the accuracy of this claim is questionable. The nickname “Ziryab” has nothing to do with a black bird or a black thrush, and in fact Ziryab was not black-skinned.
Muhammad Khayreddin ibn Mahmuod ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Faris az-Zirikli (1893 – 1976), a Syrian biographer, journalist, writer and poet born in Beirut, Lebanon, whose father is Kurdish and mother is Arab, states that this name was given to Ziryab before he moved to Andalusia, while he was still in his homeland, because of his fluent language and because he was likened to a singing bird. (813)
This bird is the nightingale, and the word “ziryab” is nothing but the Old Kurdish and Persian equivalent of the bird “nightingale”.
Researchers have recorded that he was called “Ziryab” because his beautiful voice reminded them of a nightingale. This shows that the nickname “Ziryab” has nothing to do with black skin and that it means “so-and-so has a golden voice” (in Kurdish “Zêrav”), and that this nickname is used for those with beautiful voices. This name has survived to the present day. (814)
As can be seen, due to a complete confusion of words, it was thought that the nickname “Ziryab” was related to the black bird or the black thrush, and based on this, delusions were put forward that Ziryab was black and therefore of African origin, without any information or evidence on this matter.
Another piece of evidence supporting the claim that Ziryab was given this nickname because he had a golden voice and not because he had black skin is the existence of a female singer named Ziryab, who was not black-skinned, during the same period. Egyptian musicologist and government minister Mahmud Ahmad al-Khifni (1896 – 1973) states that this woman was Ziryab al-Wasiqiyah (? – ?), one of the famous singers of the early Abbasids, and that there is no narration that she had black skin. (815)
As can be seen, there was another musician with the same name before Ziryab, and she was also a woman, and her nickname was Ziryab. But the woman did not have black skin. Therefore, the nickname Ziryab has nothing to do with black skin or Africanness.
The nickname “Zêrav” given to Ali ibn Nafi in his hometown of Mosul is Kurdish and means “Golden Water”. The nickname “Ziryab” given to him after he arrived in Baghdad is also Kurdish / Persian and means “Nightingale”.
After clarifying this seemingly minor detail but actually very important, we can continue to tell the story of Ali ibn Nafi (Zêrav; Ziryab)’s life starting from Baghdad…
Ziryab did not only receive Music education in Baghdad. He also received education in Science, Literature, Geography and Astronomy and became a brilliant student.
Ziryab received his education by observing and practicing his teacher’s artistic performance. This school provided intensive education aimed at raising the cultural level of the students. Here, in addition to music and singing education, the students received intensive lessons in different areas such as the Quran, literature and history. The day would begin with reading the Quran, then they would be trained to play the oud, then they would read poems from poets and finally the day would end with singing. Ziryab was also a very knowledgeable person in space sciences, the movements of the stars, their flows in space and their effects. He became both a geographer and an anthropologist in terms of knowing how to classify the seven climates and the characteristics of these climates, rivers, countries and the people living in these countries. (816)
It is said that Ziryab sang beautifully and played the oud when he was only 12 years old. When he was 19, he improved this original instrument by adding a fifth string and frets. This 5-string lute with a short neck, no keyboard and an almond-shaped body was considered the king of classical musical instruments in the East. The Abbasid Caliph, fascinated by its golden sound (= zêrav) and original melodies, showered him with magnificent gifts. (817)
There is a very interesting incident narrated in the sources regarding why Ziryab left Baghdad and even left the Abbasid lands altogether. This incident, which would later change world history and even change the shape of the world, is as follows:
Year, 813.
One day, the Abbasid Caliph Harun ar-Rashid and the palace notables are organizing an art event in the palace. Of course, there will be a musical feast in this event. The Caliph asks his chief musician Ishaq al-Mosuli: “Bring your students and let them treat us to a musical feast.”
They come. Of course Ishaq al-Mosuli brings his favorite student Ziryab with him.
The art event goes well. Everyone is happy. During the event, Caliph Harun ar-Rashid asks his chief musician Ishaq al-Mosuli, “Who is your best student?” Ishak points to Ziryab and says, “This boy is very talented. I like him very much and I feel that he will achieve great fame one day.” Caliph Harun ar-Rashid states that this is something he desires and says that he is also looking for someone like him, and asks him to bring Ziryab into his presence.
Ziryab is called to sing for the Caliph. When Ziryab is brought into the presence of Caliph Harun ar-Rashid by his teacher Ishaq al-Mosuli, he introduces himself to the Caliph in a concise manner.
Later, when Caliph Harun ar-Rashid spoke to Ziryab, Ziryab responded with elegance and genuine charm of manner. When Caliph Harun ar-Rashid asked Ziryab about his singing, Ziryab replied, “I know that the people know, but most of what I know the people do not know. If you allow me, I will sing you songs that no one has ever heard before.” Harun ar-Rashid asked Ziryab about his talent, and Ziryab replied, “I can sing what other singers know, but most of my repertoire consists of songs that are suitable for singing before a Caliph like our Majesty. The other singers are unaware of these. If our Majesty permits, I will sing for you a selection of songs that human ears have never heard before.”
The Caliph, pleased with the answer, raises his eyebrows and orders his teacher Ishaq al-Mosuli’s oud to be brought to Ziryab. Ziryab, who does not accept the lute offered to him, says, “Our Honorable Caliph! The art and music that I learned from my teacher, my teacher has already been presenting to you for a long time, at various times. Therefore, what benefit would it bring you to listen to the imitation, the learned form of what you heard the original from him, from me again? Why do you want this from me?” Caliph Harun ar-Rashid says, “So what? At least, let us hear from you how much you have educated your students.” Ziryab replies, “Since you want to hear from me, then allow me to present to you the music that I have produced and created myself, not the music that I have learned from my teacher.”
Of course, there is astonishment in the palace, people are in shock. Caliph Harun ar-Rashid expresses his astonishment with the words, “Oh my God, is that so? Do you also have your own music?” Of course, Ziryab’s teacher Ishaq al-Mosuli is also in great astonishment. Because his student Ziryab had never mentioned such a thing to him; he had never told his teacher about these things in class or lessons.
Ziryab, who did not accept the oud offered to him, stated that he had an oud that he designed and made himself and that he could only perform his art with that oud. “But”, says Ziryab, “I cannot present my own art, my own music, with my teacher’s oud, I can only present it with my own oud.” Ziryab respectfully declines the instrument and says, “I brought my own oud. I made it myself by carving wood and working on it, and no other instrument satisfies me. I left it at the palace gate and with your permission I would like to have it brought.” The Caliph asks with a second surprise, “Do you also have your own oud?” Ziryab says “Yes”, and with permission from the Caliph, brings his oud that is at the gate.
Caliph Harun ar-Rashid is a person who loves art very much, but he is not an artist himself. When he looks at it from the front, he cannot tell the difference between two musical instruments of the same type. When Harun ar-Rashid sees that the oud brought to him is similar to the other oud, he asks why he did not accept his teacher’s oud that was given to him at first, and that he cannot see any difference between the two. Ziryab then tells Harun ar-Rashid that if he wants his teacher to sing his songs, he can play and sing with his oud, but if he wants to listen to his own songs, then he should use his own oud. Ziryab’s words to the Caliph, who said, “I don’t see any difference between the two”, are quite ambitious: “Sir, at first glance you are right to think so, but my teacher’s oud is heavier, mine is a bit lighter and the strings are in different places. I developed it myself, I didn’t learn it from anyone. It is an instrument that I made in a way that I developed by thinking about it myself. Although my oud is the same size and appearance as his oud, it weighs exactly one third of it. The strings on my oud are made of silk that cannot be spun with hot water. This gives the oud a soft and smooth sound. I made the bass string and third strings of this oud from the intestines of a lion cub. The clarity, clarity and high pitch of its chant and sound are many times greater than those produced by the intestines of other animals. It is also more resistant to the blows of the plectrum than the others.”
The Caliph, amazed by Ziryab’s style of expression, orders him to sing. Ziryab begins a song he has composed. All the courtiers are entranced and intoxicated by Ziryab’s golden nightingale voice. After all, he is a Kurd who comes from the dengbêj tradition. Caliph Harun ar-Rashid, who is entranced by Ziryab’s singing, turns to his teacher Ishaq al-Mosuli and says, “If I did not know your honesty towards me, I would have punished you for hiding this child’s extraordinary talent from me until now. Take him and take good care of him until we have free time to take care of him. Continue his education, I would like to support this.” Realizing what a great asset Ziryab will be in the future, Caliph Harun ar-Rashid then orders those around him: “Take this child under protection. Give him every support. I have great plans for him in the future. Meet his every need and desire. Look after him like your own eyes.”
But the attention shown to Ziryab makes his teacher Ishaq al-Mosuli a little jealous, even nervous. He fears that his throne will be shaken and his prestige will be lost after the attention Ziryab receives.
Ziryab had hidden his best talents from his own teacher. When Ishaq al-Mosuli is finally alone with his student, he is furious at being deceived. He openly states that he is jealous of Ziryab’s talent and fears that the student will soon supplant the master in the Caliph’s favor. Ishaq al-Mosuli says to his student Ziryab: “Even if my own son had done what you did, I would have killed him. You have proven yourself well, but you have crossed me out. You have not demonstrated what I have taught you. And you have hidden from me that you have produced something yourself, that you have produced art with your own efforts. Even I, as your teacher, did not know about the things you told the Caliph. If I were not still a little fond of you, I would not hesitate to kill you, no matter what the consequences are. But I love you as a person, you are a very beautiful child, we are from the same country, we are fellow countrymen, and I cannot bear you. Because I love you. I offer you two options: Either you leave Baghdad, or even the Abbasid lands altogether, and I will never hear from you again, I will not even hear your name. Or I will kill you, I will be forced to kill you. From now on, I will not be your teacher, but your enemy. Know this! If you leave, if you accept what I said first, because I love you, I will not let you and your family work for many years without money. I will give you the money you need. Because I don’t want you to leave because I have a personal grudge against you, but what you are doing will shake my position, I am just afraid of that, otherwise I have nothing against you. I don’t want you to be in a financially difficult situation wherever you go.”
Ziryab is very upset about this situation, because this is not what he wanted to cause. Ziryab takes the money without hesitation and leaves Baghdad and then all the Abbasid lands.
When Caliph Harun ar-Rashid later hears no news from Ziryab, he becomes curious and asks his teacher Ishaq al-Mosuli. Ishaq al-Mosuli is forced to lie to save the day. Ishaq al-Mosuli explains his apprentice’s absence by claiming that Ziryab was mentally unstable and that he left Baghdad in anger because he had not received a gift from the Caliph. When the Caliph asks him a few more times, Ishaq al-Mosuli says, “Ziryab is possessed by a jinn. He believes that jinn speak to him and inspire his music. He tells us in class: ‘The songs I compose are revealed to me by jinn and angels.’ He says things like that. What he says is blasphemy. He is so arrogant that he believes that his talent is unparalleled in the world. I do not know where he is now. Our Majesty, be grateful that he has gone.”
So Ziryab leaves the Abbasid lands and is forgotten in Baghdad. (818)
Year, 813. Ziryab is only 24 years old.
Leaving Baghdad, Ziryab first went to Syria and from there to Egypt. (819) He did not stay there long, but went to the city of Kairouan in today’s Tunisia and settled there. (820)
Algerian historian and biographer Maqqari reports that after moving to the lands of Maghreb (North Africa), Ziryab was completely forgotten in the East. (821)
At that time, the Aghlabid-Dynasty (800 – 909) was ruling the Tunisian lands. The state was headed by Ziyadetullah I ibn Ibrahim ibn Aghlab (789 – 838), who was the same age as Ziryab. Ziryab became famous here as he was in Baghdad. Ziryab, who was highly respected by the Aghlebi administration, lived in the palace of Emir Ziyadetullah I himself while in Tunisia. (822)
Ziryab’s days in Tunisia were pleasant and even glorious. Until 821.
Ziryab composed a song from Antarah ibn Shaddad ibn Amr al-Absi (525 – 608)’s couplets. Antarah was a pre-Islamic Arab-Abyssinian knight and poet, famous for both his poems and his adventurous life. In fact, his main poem was part of the “Muallaqat-i Sebā” , a group of seven long poems that were said to be hung on the walls of the Kaaba. This song angered the Aghlabid Emir Ziyadetullah I a lot. We do not know the lyrics of this poem, which belongs to the pre-Islamic Arab society, but since it angered the Aghlabid Emir so much and we know the adventurous personality of Antarah, the poet of the lyrics, who challenged the states, it was probably a poem that criticized the state administrators harshly and sarcastically. Ziryab composed this poem and set it to song, and this was the end of Ziryab’s life in Tunisia. The Aghlabid Emir Ziyadetullah I, enraged, ordered Ziryab to be beaten, flogged and expelled from the country, and if he was still seen in Ifriqiya (today’s Tunisia), he was to be beheaded. (823)
Ziryab’s departure from Baghdad and his departure from Kairouan are interestingly similar. However, his departure from Baghdad was due to the rivalry between the teacher and the student, and his departure from Kairouan (Tunisia) was due to the anger of the state emir. However, the real common point is that, as in the previous case, he was threatened with death. (824)
Thereupon, Ziryab decided to go to Andalusia (Spain).
Ziryab, who became famous in Asia and could not find shelter there and came to Africa, could not find shelter there either and set off for Europe. Just because he was a talented and free-spirited artist, he was taken from continent to continent.
Year, 821 – 22. At that time, the head of the Islamic Civilization of Andalusia was Abû Ās al-Hakam I ibn Hisham ibn Abdurrahman (771 – 822), born in Kortoba (Córdoba). Al-Hakam I became the new emir of Andalusia after his father Hisham I ar-Riza ibn Abdurrahman ibn Muawiyah al-Umawi (757 – 96), who was also born in Kortoba (Córdoba), died on September 30, 788 (one year before Ziryab was born) and had been in power for 33 – 34 years. (825)
During the reign of Al-Hakam, internal uprisings broke out again in a very intense manner. This time, in addition to the Arabs and Berbers, there were also converts. The arbitrary decisions of the new emir, his negligence in fulfilling religious duties, unlike his father, and his attempts to break the influence of the olamah by not giving them the value they expected played an important role in this. For this reason, rebellions followed one another in cities such as Kortoba (Córdoba), Tolaytola, Maride, Sarakusta and Washka (Huesca). However, Al-Hakam I managed to suppress the rebellions on a large scale by resorting to very harsh military measures and sometimes trickery. The people who benefited the most from the rebellions that broke out during this period were undoubtedly the Franks, who captured Barcelona, one of the most important border cities of Andalusia, in 801. (826)
Starting from the time of Al-Hakam, the emirs of Andalusia opened the doors of their palaces to the famous musicians and mughannis of the East. (827) Unlike his father Hisham I, who was considered the “Umar ibn Abdulaziz of Andalusia” (828), Al-Hakam I was not a very religious person. The people rarely saw the emir in the mosque. He was greatly interested in drinking, music, poetry and hunting. (829)
During the time of Al-Hakam I, one such emir, Alūn (? – ?) ve Zarkūn (? – ?), singers came from the East to Andalusia. (830) They were followed by other singers, Fadl’ol-Madinah (? – ?) ve Qamar (? – ?). (831)
Ziryab knew the value that the Emir of Andalusia, Al-Hakam I, gave to art and artists. Emir Al-Hakam had also heard of Ziryab’s fame and had heard many compliments about his talent.
The Kurdish musician Ziryab, who was in Tunisia but whose life was in danger, wrote a letter to the Emir of Andalusia, Al-Hakam I, explaining his difficult situation and saying that he wanted to come to them. The Emir of Andalusia, Al-Hakam I, responded positively and in his letter he wrote in response, stated that they would be very honored and happy to see him in the lands of Andalusia and invited him to his palace. (832)
Date, May 822.
Ziryab went to Andalusia. He arrived in the city of Kortoba (Córdoba) in the lands of Andalusia. (833)
Ziryab, who was 24 years old when he left Baghdad and went to Syria, was now 33 years old when he left Tunisia and arrived in Andalusia. There was a 9-year gap between the two “forced migration” incidents.
It is not known exactly when Ziryab got married and at what point in his life he started a family. The first mention of his wife and children in the sources is when he moved from Tunis to Andalusia. Ziryab appeared in Kairouan, Tunisia, 8 – 9 years after he left Baghdad. We have no information about what he did or what happened to him during the time in Syria and Egypt between these two.
Therefore, it is not known when he married. However, it is seen that he was married and had 10 children, 8 boys and 2 girls, while he was in Tunisia. The names of Ziryab’s children are as follows: Abdurrahman, Ubaydullah, Yahya, Djafar, Muhammad, Qasim, Ahmad, Hasan, Aliyyah (Oulayyah) and Hamdunah. (834)
5 of his 8 sons and both of his daughters were musicians like their father. (835) His most talented child in music was his youngest daughter Hamdunah. (836)
As we have just said, it is not known exactly when Ziryab got married and at what point in his life he started a family. The first mention of his wife and children in the sources is when he moved from Tunis to Andalusia. Ziryab appeared in Kairouan, Tunisia, 8 – 9 years after he left Baghdad. We have no information about what he did or what happened to him during the time in Syria and Egypt between these two.
Since a person, especially a person living in exile, cannot marry and have 10 children in a short period of 9 years, it is obvious that Ziryab was married when he left Baghdad at the age of 24. However, it is difficult to estimate how many children he had when he left Baghdad in 813. However, it seems certain that he was married and that his first children was born in Baghdad. There is no other explanation for his appearing in Tunisia 9 years later as a father of 10 children.
In May 822, the 33-year-old artist Ziryab, who migrated to Andalusia with his wife and 10 children and arrived in the city of Kortoba (Córdoba), was in for a bad surprise: While Ziryab was still on the road with his family and before he even set foot in Córdoba, the Andalusian Emir Al-Hakam I, who had invited him to Andalusia, passed away. The 51-year-old Andalusian Emir Al-Hakam I suddenly passed away on May 21, 822. His son Abdurrahman II al-Awsat (792 – 852), who was born in Toledo, became the new emir. (837)
The new emir, Abdurrahman II, came to power without any opposition and tried to reshape the emirate. However, the new emir, Abdurrahman II, had not heard of Ziryab and did not know him. He was also unaware of the invitation sent to him by his father, the late Al-Hakam I.
Ziryab and his family, who arrived in the city of Kortoba (Córdoba), were disappointed to see that no one welcomed them. They had come here upon invitation, and with an invitation sent by the head of state himself, but no one had come to welcome them. Ziryab and his family had been left wandering around the city for days. They had been officially invited by the emir of the state as a great artist, but they were left alone. Neither they knew anyone in the city, nor did anyone know them.
Ziryab and his family, who had been waiting helplessly in Andalusia for days and could not receive any news from anyone, lost hope and, demoralized and miserable, decided to return to North Africa.
However, an unexpected development occurs at that time. At that time, the chief musician of the Islamic State of Andalusia is a Jew. Although the new emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, does not know about Ziryab and the invitation letter sent to him by his late father, Mansour al-Yahudi (? – ?), who is a Jew and the chief musician of the Islamic State of Andalusia (838), knows Ziryab and also knows about the invitation letter sent to him by the late emir Al-Hakam.
Learning that Ziryab had been waiting helplessly in Córdoba with his family for days and that he had decided to return to North Africa when he could not hear from anyone, the Jewish artist Mansour decided to appear before the new emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II.
The chief musician of the Islamic State of Andalusia, Mansour al-Yahudi, who appeared before the new emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, said to the emir: “Our honorable Emir! There was an artist that your late father invited. A great artist. He came from Baghdad. He is nicknamed Ziryab. He is a very good artist. You may not have heard of him yet, but he is here and came here. When your father passed away and he did not hear from you at all, and you did not show any interest in him, he decided to return. If you could show some interest…” Emir Abdurrahman II said, “I do not know him. What can I do?” The Jewish musician Mansour said, “Look, trust me. I am a reference for him. As your chief musician, I am a guarantor for him. He will add great value to us. He will advance the art and music world of Andalusia a lot, he will make great contributions. I am a reference. Please invite him to your palace, let him not return and stay with us.” This Jewish musician manages to convince Abdurrahman II. Abdurrahman II says, “Okay, I trust you. If that’s what you say, let him come.”
The Jewish chief musician Mansour, who is very happy that he was able to convince Emir Abdurrahman II, quickly throws himself out of the palace and tracks down Ziryab on the streets of Córdoba. Finding Ziryab and his family, Mansour confronts them and tells Ziryab, “Welcome to Andalusia. Please do not return. Our new emir Abdurrahman II will be very happy to host you in his palace.” (839)
The depression and sadness in Ziryab and his family suddenly turns into joy and hope. They all go to the palace together.
The sources have different accounts. In fact, in different accounts in the same sources, it is said that after Ziryab left Tunisia to come to Andalusia, the Emir of Andalusia, Al-Hakam I, passed away while he was still in Algeria, and therefore Ziryab decided to return while he was still in Algeria. According to this account, upon hearing the news of this sudden death, Ziryab also wrote a letter to the new emir, Abdurrahman II. In his letter, Ziryab conveyed his condolences to Emir Abdurrahman II, stated his intention to travel, and expressed his hopes for the new emir who had succeeded him after his father’s death. However, Abdurrahman II did not respond because he did not know him, and Ziryab, whose hopes had been dashed, decided to return. Mansour, the Jewish chief musician of the Islamic State of Andalusia, who heard about this, intervened and went to Abdurrahman’s presence, and convinced Emir Abdurrahman by telling him about Ziryab’s merits. Thereupon, Emir Abdurrahman II wrote his letter in response to Ziryab. In his letter to Ziryab, Abdurrahman II promised that he would eagerly await his arrival, that he would be pleased with his arrival, and that he would give him a good position in his service. (840)
At the same time, Abdurrahman II sent letters to the governors of the provinces along the way, asking them to take good care of Ziryab and deliver him safely to Kortoba (Córdoba). (841) In a letter he wrote to the governor and other governors in Algiers, Emir Abdurrahman II ordered each governor to accompany him until he delivered him to the next governor, thus ensuring that Ziryab traveled with the highest respect and in safety until he reached Kortoba (Córdoba). (842)
After Ziryab and his family arrived in Andalusia, Emir Abdurrahman II sent the eldest of the eunuchs to meet Ziryab and his family with a large convoy. In order to protect Ziryab’s family harem, this convoy also took Ziryab and his family to the city at night. Ziryab and his family arrived at the Andalusian palace in the city of Kortoba (Córdoba) and were received with interest and respect by Emir Abdurrahman II and the Andalusian Islamic administration. Andalusian Emir Abdurrahman II ordered Ziryab and his family to be housed in the Sitqa Palace, which was located in the backyard of his palace and whose whereabouts are unknown today. (843)
We do not know which of these two narratives is completely true. The common point in both is that the Emir Al-Hakam I, who sent a letter of invitation to Ziryab, died while Ziryab was still on his way, the new Emir Abdurrahman II did not recognize him and was interested in him, but his chief artist, the Jewish musician Mansur, convinced Abdırrahman II, so that Ziryab was dissuaded from returning and taken to the palace in Kortoba (Córdoba). These are definite truths. The only disputed issue is whether the old Emir Al-Hakam I died when Ziryab arrived in Algeria or after he arrived in Andalusia.
Anyway, our Ziryab is now in Kortoba (Córdoba) and is in the palace with his family.
The Berber sociologist Ibn Khaldun, who is considered the founder of sociology, wrote that Emir Abdurrahman II went all the way out of the city to meet Ziryab. Ibn Khaldun recorded that Emir Abdurrahman II showed great interest in Ziryab and personally welcomed him, saying “Ahlan wa sahlan” (Welcome), presented him with gifts, barley and allowances, and reserved a special place for Ziryab among the members of the dynasty and his courtiers. (844)
Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari reported that a slave was sent to meet Ziryab, and this slave welcomed him, placed him in a beautiful house, and provided all his needs. Three days later, Abdurrahman II received him into his presence and welcomed Ziryab at the highest level. (845)
The Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan, who was a descendant of a Spanish family that had converted to Islam and was born two hundred years later in Kortoba (Córdoba), the city where Ziryab died, noted that Emir Abdurrahman II discovered that Ziryab was a vast sea and was very excited. That day, they honored Ziryab by eating together and after the ablution, the Emir’s special perfume was presented to Ziryab. (846)
Three days after arriving in Kortoba (Córdoba), a musical event was held in the palace in Ziryab’s honor. Abdurrahman II asked Ziryab to perform his art. Ziryab gave a musical recital to the palace elite. Abdurrahman II was amazed. “Now I understand why my father invited you all the way here”, said Abdurrahman II, “My late father was not an idle man. You are truly a magnificent artist.” Then, the Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, said to Ziryab: “You can stay here now, these places are yours. And everything you want will be met with more than enough. I do not want you to have any financial difficulties. Just focus on your art, just practice your art. You will receive a salary every month.” (847)
The Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, allocated a monthly salary of 200 gold coins to Ziryab. In addition to the 200 gold coins each month, an additional 500 gold coins would be given at the beginning of each summer, at the end of each summer, and at the beginning of each year. This was not limited to these. He ensured that he received 1000 gold coins each on each of the two religious holidays (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) and 500 gold coins on the Mehregan Holiday. (848)
This agreement was not limited to this. Ziryab was to be allocated 300 mudd (bushel) of food each year. Of this, 200 mudd (bushel) were barley and 100 mudd (bushel) were wheat. (849)
And this was not all. In addition to Ziryab, each of Ziryab’s 10 children was also given a monthly salary of 20 gold coins. (850)
With all this, the Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, had now won the heart of the Kurdish musician Ziryab, and from then on, he began to invite him to his conversations, listened to his songs, and while listening, he excluded all the other singers in his presence and put Ziryab ahead of all of them. (851) He treated him very generously, offered him refreshments and conversed with him on various subjects. Emir Abdurrahman II became a great admirer of Ziryab and even ate his meals at the same table with him, thus honoring Ziryab. (852) In addition to all this, Emir Abdurrahman II also opened a special door for Ziryab in the palace. Thus, through this door between Abdurrahman’’s private room and Ziryab’s private room, the two of them could meet each other directly, without anyone else intervening. (853)
Ziryab suddenly became a wealthy member of the upper landed class in Andalusia. He was now one of the wealthiest people in Spain. He lived richly and prosperously until the end of his life.
Ziryab was not only a musician, singer, lute player, composer, poet and teacher. He was also a wise man with incredible knowledge in Astronomy, Geography, Meteorology, Botany, Cosmetics, Culinary Arts and Fashion. (854) The Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, benefited not only from the oud he played and the songs he sang, but also from his conversations in various fields, especially in history and poetry, in which he was very knowledgeable in almost every field. (855) The Emir of the great Andalusian Islamic Civilization became Ziryab’s student, even disciple. He was devoted to Ziryab to the point of admiration. He was terrified and fascinated by his knowledge and experience. He could not go a day without seeing Ziryab or listening to Ziryab’s conversations. Abdurrahman II became Ziryab’s courtier. (856)
Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari mentions in his work that Ziryab was knowledgeable about the seven climates and the conflicts in their nature, their weather, the classification of seas and countries, and their populations. (857)
No one knows how this “miracle” person, who was born in a small and charming village in Kurdistan, then studied music in Baghdad but was forced to leave there, then lived in exile in Syria, Egypt and Tunisia, and then had to flee from there and came to the lands of Andalusia (Spain), had so much knowledge about the countries of the world, their climates, their geographies, and as if that were not enough, even about space and the planets, and how he knew all this.
But I do know: This is the wisdom of Kurdishness, the nobility of being a Kurd.
The Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan, who was a descendant of a Spanish family that had converted to Islam and was born two hundred years later in Kortoba (Córdoba), the city where Ziryab died, stated that God had combined in Ziryab all the talents that He had distributed to all the artists in the world. (858) According to Ibn Hayyan, Ziryab was a talent that was taught to compose and sing songs by the jinn and that had poetry engraved in his soul. He was an astrologer who made many innovations in the oud and also knew the movements of the stars. Ziryab has memorized exactly 10.000 songs with their compositions and lyrics, including many of the compositions mentioned by Claudius Ptolemaeus (90 – 168), a Latin geographer, mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, music theorist and philosopher born in Egypt. He is like an engineer in both Music and Philosophy. He is also a very good orator with a perfect style of speaking. He was a person of elegance, a good writer, who could communicate with everyone in a proper manner, and who had the ability to put himself forward expertly everywhere. He attracted attention with his courtesy, his beautiful and good speech, and his knowledge of protocol rules and methods that no other artist in his field knew at the time. (859)
It is not only Ibn Hayyan who claims that jinn taught Ziryab to sing and compose. Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari also makes the same claim, claiming that jinn taught Ziryab songs every night. (860)
As can be seen, other scholars and Islamic historians who were astonished by the intelligence and knowledge of the Kurdish artist and scientist Ziryab could not make sense of this “miraculous” person and claimed that jinn taught him these things.
Not only scholars but also the people of that time believed so. The fact that Ziryab had 10.000 lyrics and compositions in his memory caused the idea that he was supported by jinns and that jinns taught him these songs to be widespread among the people of that time. (861)
People can of course believe anything about a person whose art they admire, there is no limit to this. For example, I also believe that Brazilian football player Ronaldinho and Argentinian football player Lionel Messi are aliens and come from another planet, but my belief in this way does not make it true.
Although Ziryab’s star of fortune dimmed in Baghdad, it shone again and more powerfully in Kortoba. He is considered the greatest musician of all time in the lands of Andalusia (Spain). (862)
The Kurdish musician Ziryab was truly a “miracle” person. There are few, if not none, like him in history. Because Ziryab is a concrete example of how a single person can change a country, even a continent, and even a single person can change the world. Ziryab is an unparalleled example of how a single person can change the sociological and cultural face of the world.
He made such a cultural revolution that there is no equivalent to this great revolution in human history.
If you wish, let’s take a look at how Ziryab made a cultural revolution in Europe from the year he set foot on those lands in 822 to the year he died in 857, in other words, in a period of only 35 years, and moreover, how this miraculous Kurdish artist shaped today’s European culture…
First of all, We must state that you will have difficulty believing what you are about to read. You are not at fault in this, because it is truly very difficult to believe. But everything we are going to tell is true, and moreover, these are truths that the whole world accepts:
► Music
Ziryab created a unique and influential style of musical performance and wrote songs that have been performed in Spain for generations. He is one of the main figures in the history of 9th century Andalusian music and is considered the father of this music. He has had a great influence on today’s Spanish music and is considered the founder of Andalusian musical traditions. (863)
Ziryab, a Kurdish musician, was the first person to open a music school on the European continent. Ziryab opened a conservatory in the city of Kortoba (Córdoba), where he lived. (864) Similar conservatories were subsequently opened in other cities in Spain, such as Ishbiliyya (Seville), Tulaytula (Toledo), Balansiya (Valencia) and Ghirnata (Granada). (865) These schools continued to exist until the collapse of the Islamic civilization of Andalusia in 1492. (866) Ziryab gained his greatest fame with the Córdoba Music School, the music conservatory of Andalusia. These schools were very popular among the aristocracy of the time and included both male and female students. The students who graduated from here became some of the country’s famous musicians. (867)
Some details about Ziryab’s education at the Córdoba Music School have survived to the present day. Before Ziryab’s arrival in Andalusia, music teachers had no other method than teaching their students a song in practice. Ziryab completely changed this. He considered the curriculum of his students’ music education in three parts: First; rhythm, meter and lyrics of the song were taught with instrumental accompaniment, then the tune in its simple form. Finally, musical nuances (zāida) were taught. (868)
Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari mentions the method adopted by Ziryab for beginners in music. When a person came to him to learn music, he would first sit him on a round cushion called a misvere and order him to use all his strength as much as his voice could. If his voice was weak, he would tie his turban around his waist as an exercise to increase the sound. If his student stuttered or could not open his mouth wide enough or had a habit of clenching his teeth when he spoke, Ziryab would tell him to put a small wooden board of three fingers in his mouth. He had to keep it in his mouth for three days and three nights until his jaws widened. Ziryab would then order his student to shout “Ya Hajjam” or “Aah” at the top of his lungs and to extend his voice as much as he could. If he found that his student could pronounce these words loudly, powerfully and clearly, he would accept him among his students and protect him from any fatigue or discomfort in order to make him a successful singer. Otherwise, he would not bother with him any more. (869)
Before Ziryab, the oud was a four-stringed instrument, and these corresponded to the four natures. Ziryab was the one who added the fifth string to the oud, and after him and still, the oud is a five-stringed instrument everywhere. In accordance with the idea that each string of the oud affects a certain organ in the human body, Ziryab added a red string to the oud. It was accepted that this red string corresponded to the soul. Again, instead of the traditional wooden plectrum that abraded while playing the oud, Ziryab used a feather plectrum made of an eagle’s beak (or a vulture’s feather), which had much less friction than wood. (870) He used a thinner wooden material to increase the sound vibrations and variety in the oud, and was the first person to use an eagle’s beak (or a vulture’s feather) as a plectrum instead of a thin wooden material. The feature of this material is that it both protects the string and, since it is lighter in the hand, it allows faster playing and produces a beautiful sound. Thus, he obtained a more elegant meaning and the most perfect benefit in his oud. As follows: The “zīr” string is painted yellow and in the oud instrument, it corresponds to the bile of the body. The paint of the second string after it is red. In this oud, it is in the place of the blood in the body and it is twice as thick as that zīr. For this reason, it was named “mesnā”. The color of the fourth string is black and this corresponds to the love in the body in the oud; it is called “bam”. This is the top string of the oud and is twice as thick as the “mesles”. Meslas has no color; it is white. In the oud, it takes the place of the phlegm in the body. It is twice as thick as the mesnā. These four strings correspond to the four natures. Bam is hot and dry and is the counterpart of mesnā. Mesnā is hot and moist and it must be equalized. Zīr is hot and dry and is the counterpart of mesles. Mesles is hot and moist. Every nature responds to its opposite, so that the body is balanced with these four elements (hilt). However, the body is devoid of the soul/spirit. The soul is related to blood. For this reason, Ziryab added this fifth red string, invented in Andalusia, to the string representing the middle blood. It is below the mesnā and above the mesnā. Thus, the four elements were fully present in his oud. The fifth string corresponded to the soul in the body. (871) Again, Ziryab discovered and popularized the intestines of a young wolf for the two low strings of his instrument and a new method of spinning silk for the higher strings. (872)
Ziryab also painted the four strings of the oud in a color to symbolize the humors of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotélis (M. Ö. 384 – M. Ö. 322), and the fifth string in red to represent the soul. (873) The style of music that Ziryab developed in this way became very popular in the court of the Andalusian Emir Abdurrahman II. (874)
Ziryab, a Kurdish musician, also brought the instrument saz called “tambur” by the Kurds to Spain, which is used heavily in Kurdistan when singing music. Europe was introduced to the saz. (875)
The music school opened by the Kurdish musician Ziryab in the city of Kortoba (Córdoba) where he lived was the first music school on the European continent. (876) Before Ziryab’s arrival, music masters did not have a specific practical teaching method for their students to sing. (877)
The music school that Ziryab opened and directed included not only Muslim and Jewish students, but also Christian students from many European countries. These people came to Andalusia (Spain) from France and Italy, and even from Switzerland and Germany, studied music and art at Ziryab’s school in Córdoba, and returned to their own countries. With the music of the Kurdish musician Ziryab, they contributed to the awakening movement that laid the first seeds of the “Reform” and “Renaissance” movements centuries later in Europe. (878)
Ziryab, who became famous in the multi-religious and multi-cultural Andalusia in a short time throughout Iberia primarily as a musician, contributed to the Andalusian Spanish-Catalonian cultural heritage by blending the traditional Kurdish music of dengbêj and especially Kurdistan and Mesopotamian melodies with Arab, Berber and African motifs and enriching his knowledge in the places he lived before coming to the city of Kortoba (Córdoba). (879) After leaving Baghdad, he performed music like a traditional Kurdish dengbêj, developed and renewed himself during the time he spent in the Iberian Peninsula. He transferred this knowledge and potential to the presentation of new dance and music in his studies in Córdoba. Ziryab, who is also accepted as the creator of the Flamenco dance, enriched the music and dance knowledge he brought with him from Kurdistan and Mesopotamia with Arab, Berber and North African motifs and added it to the Andalusian Spanish-Catalonian cultural heritage. (880)
Ziryab, who added a fifth string representing the soul to the lute, developed the musical style called “nawba” with this understanding. (881) He gained respect by compiling a repertoire of 24 nawbas, each consisting of a combination of vocal and non-verbal parts in a certain melodic sequence, and this nawba tradition was later largely carried to North Africa in the late 15th century. (882)
Nawba can be explained almost by the Western concept of “suite”, which is performed with solo and orchestra accompaniment in four (five in Morocco) melodic and rhythmic movements (cycles) in a certain order and its variations were made by Ziryab. (883) Ziryab applied an Eastern style that begins with a rhythmic song and continues with a rhythmless part sung as if speaking. In the text and in a musical performance, he followed the increasing liveliness and tempo of the Eastern order, thus supporting the development of the late musical form called “vocal”, “suite” or “nawba”. More importantly, Ziryab undertook the continuation of Eastern music in the Western Islamic world. (884)
Ziryab was the person who brought the nawba system, which forms the basis of the Andalusian musical tradition, to the palace. The word “nawba” literally means “waiting for his turn”. In fact, every musician was waiting for his turn to sing in the presence of the caliph. An inseparable part of the dance, nawba is a series of vocal and instrumental works that have been enriched in terms of movement and number of parts based on modes over the centuries. Ziryab included these famous castratos, who would fascinate music lovers even in the Papal Chapel in the Vatican, as far as Rome, in the newbe choir, “singers who have not changed their voices”. The artist, who was a magnificent musician, researched Northern music, secular Romanceros, Christian religious music such as Gregorian chants, and tried to assimilate them by transferring them to the “maluf”. (885)
North Africans now see the Kurdish musician Ziryab as the ancestor of their music. Ziryab pioneered a profane music here instead of the Gregorian music in the West. (886) The oud and guitar players in the Maghreb countries (Algeria and Morocco) and Spain believe that the art of playing the oud and the invention of the guitar were the work of Ziryab. (887) Ziryab also brought the tar and setar to Córdoba, and this instrument later evolved into the Spanish guitar. (888)
The foundations of the nawba in Spain and the maluf styles, which are particularly effective in Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, belong to Ziryab. The fret and string characteristics of the oud he created influenced the formation of the Spanish guitar instrument. (889)
The French thinker, philosopher, academic and writer Roger Garaudy (1913 – 2012), who was previously a Marxist-Communist and later became a Muslim, states that Ziryab did not only perform music in a way that the upper classes would appreciate, but also in a way that would appeal to the common people. Again, according to Garaudy, a definite turning point in the development of Andalusian music occurred with Ziryab’s arrival in Córdoba. (890)
Ziryab developed the teaching of meter, lyrics, simple maqam and zāide (combining different makams into a different makam) that he received from his masters Ibrahim al-Mosuli and his son Ishaq al-Mosuli in Baghdad in Andalusia. He updated the rhythm, melody, maqam, usūl and sound practices in music and applied them in Andalusia. He reorganized the rules of solfege. He transformed the rules and rules of music into a discipline and provided music education accordingly. (891)
The inventor of flamenco music is also the Kurdish musician Ziryab, one of the first things that comes to mind when Spain is mentioned today. Ziryab pioneered the formation of the flamenco style music that has taken the world by storm today in the geography of Andalusia with the addition of a fifth string to the oud. (892) The artist, who was a singer, pioneered the birth of flamenco by developing poetic and vocal techniques such as muachah and zagal. (893) The music and dances of Kurdistan and the Middle East later transformed into Spanish flamenco with the combination of African music and dances. (894)
The figure of Ziryab is clear evidence of the extent to which Western civilization was influenced by Eastern civilization, and not only influenced by it, but also rose on the back of this civilization. The Western world, which received many cultural and civilisational elements from Ziryab’s social life in Baghdad from the 800s to the 2000s through Andalusia, still continues to use his name in different areas. Ziryab’s innovations in music primarily influenced the birth of guitar and flamenco music. The nawba style still exists in many parts of the world today. Ziryab played an important role in introducing the idea of makams corresponding to an hour of each day and the effects of these makams on human psychology, the matching of each string of the instrument with a certain temperament, and the correspondence of astrological elements and worldly elements to the Western world. His pedagogical vocal training is still applied in modern conservatories today. The West is following Ziryab’s footsteps in many areas, including the flamenco music that has taken the world by storm and modern conservatory pedagogical training, oratory, gastronomy, fashion and more. (895)
The influence of Ziryab, the inventor of today’s guitar and flamenco music, is not limited to Europe, but extends all the way to South America. Likewise, the famous music genres of the Latin American world, “tango” in Argentina, “milonga” in Uruguay and “samba” in Brazil, became famous and widespread thanks to Ziryab. (896)
As we mentioned earlier, Ziryab had 10 children, 8 boys and 2 girls. The names of Ziryab’s children are as follows: Abdurrahman, Ubaydullah, Yahya, Djafar, Muhammad, Qasim, Ahmad, Hasan, Aliyyah (Oulayyah) and Hamdunah. (897) 5 of Ziryab’s 8 sons and 2 of his daughters became musicians like their father. (898) Ziryab’s children were also his students. Ziryab also taught his own children in the music school he founded. (899) These children kept their father’s music school alive, but the female singers he trained were also considered reliable sources of his repertoire in the next generation. (900)
Among Ziryab’s 10 children – 8 boys and 2 girls – the most talented in music was his youngest daughter, Hamdunah. Ziryab’s daughter, Hamdunah, was the person who opened the first music school for girls in Europe and the world. Hamdunah became a very successful woman in music, she trained hundreds of female students in music and art, and female musicians from different parts of Europe took lessons from her. (901)
Among Ziryab’s sons, the most talented in music was Ubaydullah. His older brother Abdurrahman came after him. (902)
Ziryab served as a sort of “minister of culture” for the Islamic State of Andalusia. While the music school Ziryab opened in Córdoba taught the world-famous styles and songs of the Baghdad court, Ziryab quickly began to introduce his innovations and, in the words of the “Encyclopaedia of Islam”, he solidified his reputation as “the founder of the musical traditions of Islamic Spain”. (903)
Regarding Ziryab, the Berber sociologist Ibn Khaldun, who is considered the founder of sociology, says: “Ziryab left musical knowledge as a legacy to Spain.” (904)
There were many talented artists in Islamic Spain at that time. However, the Kurdish musician Ziryab surpassed them all. (905)
The Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari says of Ziryab, “Neither before nor after him has there been a person more loved and admired in his profession than Ziryab.” (906)
The Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan, who was a descendant of a Spanish family that had converted to Islam and was born two hundred years later in Kortoba (Córdoba), the city where Ziryab died, stated that God had combined in Ziryab all the talents that He had distributed to all the artists in the world. (907)
The famous Andalusian Berber philosopher, historian and Islamic scholar Ibn Hazm or with his full name Abu Muhammad Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Saeed ibn Hazm az-Zahiri al-Andalusi (994 – 1064) claims that Ziryab’s life and songs were compiled into a book by his children. The great Islamic scholar Ibn Hazm mentions a person named Aslam ibn Abdulaziz (? – ?), who wrote Ziryab’s life and songs and was the brother-in-law of Ziryab’s musician daughter Hamdunah, who opened the world’s first girls’ music school. This person was the brother of Ziryab’s son-in-law (Hamdunah’s husband) Hisham ibn Abdulaziz (? – ?), and was a well-educated, cultured and intellectual person. Aslam was also someone who had proven himself in poetry and music. Ibn Hazm also mentions in his book that Aslam had a work containing Ziryab’s songs and his life. (908) It is stated that Aslam prepared this book with the help of Hamdunah, the wife of his brother Hisham and also Ziryab’s daughter, and that the name of the book was “Kitab Mā’ruf fi Aghāni Ziryab”. (909)
The book called “Kitab-ū Akhbar-i Ziryab”, which is said to contain Ziryab’s songs, consists of songs known at the time, songs Ziryab collected from muwashshahs, and songs he composed from poems he may have written but not included in the muwashshah. The book is lost today. (910)
Ziryab’s daughters, Oulayyah and Hamdunah, became successful musicians like their father. These two magnificent Kurdish women opened the first girls’ music school in Europe and the world.
Both sisters were very successful in music. But especially the younger sister, Hamdunah, was an extraordinary talent. Her fame had shone in Andalusia. For this reason, Hamdunah was married to Hisham ibn Abdulaziz, the vizier of the Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II. (911)
► Poetry
Ziryab was a great musician and composer, as well as a fine poet who wrote thousands of melodic poems that were played and sung in Andalusia and all over the Mediterranean basin. His savf, a single-rhyme poem, was perfected. He was also an inexhaustible storyteller. (912)
In the manuscript that Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan, who was a descendant of a Spanish family that had converted to Islam and was born two hundred years later in Kortoba (Córdoba), the city where Ziryab died, said he personally read and that belonged to Abubakr Ubayda (? – ?), we see the qualification of “printed poet” for Ziryab. And again in this manuscript, someone named Hayyan (? – ?) states that he has never seen this qualification attributed to Ziryab in any artist to date. (913)
Only four lines of Ziryab’s poetry have come down to us. The Algerian historian Ahmad al-Maqqari quotes the following lines attributed to Ziryab:
“I am attached to her;
Like a basil branch,
Delicate, fragrant and in bloom,
Neither full nor thin, neither long nor short.
What glorious days we had,
In Dayr’ol-Matirā,
Their only shortcoming for a lover,
Was their being too few?” (914)
Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari quotes this poem, said to be by Ziryab, from the Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan.
One of Ziryab’s sons, Ahmad, was also a poet like his father. (915)
Not surprisingly, Ziryab’s all-encompassing influence aroused the jealousy and resentment of other artists and courtiers in Kortoba (Córdoba). Two prominent poets of the period, Ibn Habib as-Sūlemi (790 – 853) and Yahya ibn Hakam al-Bakri al-Ghezzal al-Djayani (772 – 866), nicknamed Al-Ghezzal, wrote scathing verses attacking Ziryab. Al-Ghezzal, a leading Andalusian satirist, probably regarded Ziryab of Baghdad as a “loud intruder in Kortoba”. But Ziryab maintained the friendship and support of the Emir Abdurrahman II, which was important. (916)
The first person to show hostility towards Ziryab was Yahya ibn Hakam, who was known as Al-Ghezzal (Gazelle) because of his handsomeness. So much so that the Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, in order to reduce the rivalry and hostility between the two, preferred to separate them and sent Al-Ghezzal as an ambassador to Byzantium (Konstantinopolis; today’s Istanbul). (917) Although it is not known how long Al-Ghezzal stayed in Konstantinopolis, it is understood that he returned to Kortoba (Andalusia) after his successes and fame increased there. Al-Ghezzal, who continued his struggle with Ziryab from where he left off, was sent to Scandinavia, this time to the Vikings, by the Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II. Here, the experienced diplomat Al-Ghezzal met with the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway and demanded an account of the kings of that state, “Why are your warriors attacking us, even though we have no hostility or relations with you? Who is sending them from here to there to plunder and conquer?” (918) Following this, Al-Ghezzal returned to Kortoba (Andalusia), and continued his struggle with Ziryab, satirizing him with his poems and saying indecent and immodest things about him. However, his satires did not harm Ziryab, but rather humiliated him in the eyes of the Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, and caused him to be expelled from his presence. This time, Abdurrahman II sent Al-Ghezzal to Baghdad as a meaningful punishment. Thus, while Ziryab from Baghdad found the best opportunities to practice his art in Kortoba, Al-Ghezzal from Kortoba would also set off for Baghdad and seek his fortune there. (919)
The Emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, gave Al-Ghezzal a truly meaningful punishment. He exiled Al-Ghezzal from Kortoba to Baghdad, where Ziryab came from. Thus, Al-Ghezzal, who constantly called Ziryab from Baghdad “the loud Baghdader intruder in Kortoba”, himself became “the loud Kortobaer intruder in Baghdad”.
► Cuisine and Gastronomy
Ziryab has caused radical changes especially in the field of gastronomy, food sector, culinary manners and food culture and has deeply shaped the global civilization in today’s world especially in this regard.
Ziryab was celebrated in Kortoba (Córdoba) as the court’s food, fashion, song and music enthusiast. He introduced standards of excellence in all these areas and set new norms for elegant and noble manners. (920)
In the book “1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization” it is written: “We can thank Ziryab, the 9th century man who introduced the idea of three meals a day to Europe, giving birds’ milk and ending with a fruit or vegetable. After he came to Andalusia, food traditions changed in general. The meal now had to start with soup, followed by a main course of fish or red meat or poultry, and ended with a fruit or vegetable.” (921)
Ziryab told the Andalusians what and how to eat. He revolutionized Andalusian cuisine. Apparently having extensive knowledge about plants, Ziryab introduced new plants such as asparagus to the Andalusians. Ziryab revolutionized the local cuisine by introducing new fruits and vegetables such as asparagus. (922) Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari mentions that the Andalusians did not know these plants before. (923) Ahmad al-Maqqari and Ibn Hayyan also mention a dish called “tafāyā” prepared by the Andalusians from fresh coriander juice, and state that a type of sauce called “taqliya”, made with garlic, coriander and melted oil, eaten as a condiment, is also attributed to Ziryab. (924)
The “sāraīd” served at special tables, “bawārīd” which are sweetened cold foods, meat pieces dipped in soup, sweets made with sugar and honey, walnuts and almonds, stuffed kadayıfs, types of halva called “fawanīd” made from flour, honey and water, fresh and dry, candy mixtures filled with pistachios and hazelnuts, jams and desserts were made. (925) Ziryab, who also had a wide knowledge of plants, was the first person to start eating the hilyan plant in Andalusia, in addition to asparagus. The hilyan plant, which the Andalusians called “isfardj” at that time and which grew abundantly there, was a broad bean. The people of Andalusia (Spain) were unaware of how to use this plant before the Kurdish artist Ziryab. The story of Ziryab introducing this plant to the public in Spain is told in detail by the Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan. (926)
The Arab Muhaddis, historian and writer Ibn Dihya or with his full name Madjduddin Umar ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Farh al-Kalbi al-Balansi ad-Dani (1150 – 1235), who was born in Valencia, also reported that Ziryab was the one who taught him to eat the naqawa plant in Spain and that he was the first to make the “foul” fried food. (927) Ziryab’s cooking of foul on a high heat on a tile, with meat and spices added on top, was greatly appreciated by the people, and the chefs even changed their production habits and started to serve this dish more. (928)
Before Ziryab, meals were served plainly on a bare floor. When the floor table was set up, all the food was laid out on the table as if having a picnic. Ziryab was the person who started the meal by having all the dishes on the table in a certain order instead of having them laid out on the table as if having a picnic, and starting with soup and ending with dessert, which is still the global food culture all over the world. Ziryab insisted that meals be served on leather tablecloths in three separate plates consisting of soup, main course and dessert. He was also the “taste expert” of the Andalusian Islamic Civilization, and instead of all the dishes being laid out at the same time as if it were a picnic, he ensured that they were served in a certain order, and completely changed the way food was presented and the order of the country’s food service in the dining area. The person who invented and popularized the method of eating in stages (first soup, then the main course, and finally dessert) in Spain in the 9th century was the Kurdish genius Ziryab, and from there it spread to other European countries and then to the whole world. (929)
The great Kurdish genius Ziryab, who taught Spain and the world how to present foods in order, such as first hot soups, then red and white meat dishes, then halva made of almonds, walnuts and honey, bakery products with plenty of pistachios and hazelnuts and fruit desserts, also taught them how to spice and roast the meat of the birds served. (930) Ziryab cooked them very delicious meals. (931) Ziryab also taught the Andalusians and Europeans how to make spicy stews and minced meatballs. (932) He introduced the Andalusian society to a type of dessert with pistachios, sherbet and rice, similar to qadayif, which was considered an unknown dessert until then. A type of broad bean called helyon also entered the cuisine of Andalusian and Spanish restaurants thanks to him. (933)
There was a wide variety of foods available in Andalusia: Meats, fish and poultry, vegetables, cheeses, soups and desserts. Ziryab combined these in inventive recipes, many of which came from Baghdad. One of these dishes, taqliya, consisting of meatballs and small triangular pieces of dough fried in coriander oil, became known as Ziryab’s fried dish. Many other dishes bore his name. He developed a series of delicious desserts, including a memorable treat of walnuts and honey, which is still served in Spain today. Ziryab decreed that meals would be served in a fixed order, starting with soup or broth, followed by fish, poultry or meat, and ending with fruit, desserts and nuts and pistachios. This style of presentation, unheard of in Baghdad or Damascus, gradually gained popularity, spreading to the upper and merchant classes, then to Christians and Jews, and even to peasants. Eventually, the custom became the norm throughout Europe. The English expression “from soup to nuts” in Western European food culture, which refers to a rich and varied meal, can be traced back to Ziryab’s innovations on the Andalusian table. (934)
Andalusian history books devote a large portion of their pages to the legendary Ziryab, describing him as “a man of elegance in his speech and food”. Ziryab was also notable for his manners of speaking and sitting at the table. “He ate his food slowly, chewed slowly, spoke slowly, and drank his drinks gracefully.” He loved to drink, would down his food, fill his mouth with meat and rice on one side, and would place many handkerchiefs on his table; “this one for the hands, this one for the lips, this one for the forehead, and this one for the neck.” He was the first to draw women’s attention to the fact that women’s handkerchiefs should be of different colors and sizes, and should also be scented. (935)
Ziryab taught people to serve food, which had been served on gold or silver plates until then, on crystal plates. Because glassware was easier to wash and clean, more beautiful and cheaper to obtain than others. It is known that he recommended covering the dining table, and that this covering should be made of linen or easily cleanable materials, or if it was not available, he recommended using a type of leather. (936) He also covered the wooden materials (tables or tablas) on which the food was placed with linen covers. Thus, he prevented the wooden tables that had no cover before from being cleaned by scrubbing them every time something was spilled on them. (937)
Ziryab is the name of the person who took the Andalusian society to the next level in terms of culture, customs and habits. He knew table manners well; he had tablecloths spread on banquet tables, and ensured that a few multi-purpose handkerchiefs / napkins were kept during the meal, and that they were used for purposes such as wiping the mouth and hands, and hanging from the neck to the chest to protect from stains. (938)
In Europe, people used to eat on the floor. The culture of eating at the table was started by the Kurdish genius Ziryab, which is a global culture today and meals are eaten at the table all over the world. The magnificent Kurdish genius Ziryab also taught the world how to use a fork and knife. (939)
In Europe, people used to drink their drinks from metal bowls. The miraculous Kurd Ziryab was the one who taught them to drink drinks in elegant glass cups and started this culture. Using silver plates and glass cups (goblets) is his work. Ziryab started using crystal glass, which is more suitable for drinks than metal. This historical fact is also confirmed by the inscriptions that confirm that he cut large crystal cups. (940)
On the other hand, wine was also in Ziryab’s area of interest, even though it was forbidden in Islam. Ziryab also started the culture of drinking wine and the tradition of eating food with wine. (941)
Imagine that this person is also a Muslim and the chief advisor of an Islamic state. The wine drinking culture is started in the world by Ziryab, a Muslim, and the Islamic Civilization of Andalusia, an Islamic state.
The Kurdish genius Ziryab, a miraculous man, brought recipes from the world’s most delicious cuisine, the Kurdish cuisine, and diversified them with the Arab, Berber and Spanish-Catalonian cuisines of other cultures he knew, creating a new culinary culture that was almost identical to himself. One of these recipes still takes its place on tables in Spain and surrounding countries with his name: “Ziriabí” (Ziryabī). (942)
The “zelabi” (zalabia; jalabi), which has roots in the Indian cuisine dating back to the 15th century and is also a type of dessert in the Kirkuk cuisine in Kurdistan today, takes its name from Ziryab. (943) Ziryab taught this dessert to the Andalusians and it was henceforth known as “Ziryab Zelabiyah”. (944)
In a 13th century Andalusian cookbook, there is a recipe for a stew of lamb cubes garnished with cabbage, onion, spices, cereals, minced meat, eggs and almond pieces called “Ziryab’s Vegetables”. (945) Today, for the food and the local atmosphere in the place, the hotel called “Bodegon Torre del Ora” in San Marco recommends Andalusian dishes, especially the duck in olive oil that Ziryab made for the caliph, simple but magnificent walnut desserts, cream and honey. Among these, “Ziryab’s Walnuts” has a special place. (946) A dessert made from a mixture of honey, sesame and walnuts, still popular in Spain under the name “guirlache”, is also attributed to Ziryab. (947) The “Ziryab Restaurant” in Barcelona attracts great attention today with its Middle Eastern flavors, spices, dishes and special wines produced in Catalonia and the Middle East. This restaurant was built in honor of the memory of the Kurdish master Ziryab and his legacy in Spain, with its unique Middle Eastern dishes and wines, as well as the presentation of Catalan cuisine products. (948)
Today in Europe and Africa, especially in Spain and Morocco, there are dishes, desserts, pastries and cakes named after the immortal Kurdish mind Ziryab, and these flavors still adorn the tables in these ancient geographies.
► Health and Hygiene
Ziryab also made a great revolution in health and hygiene in Spain, and the revolution made by this magnificent Kurdish mind has become a global culture all over the world today.
Ziryab is also considered to be the person who brought Eastern traditions, cuisine, clothing and even toothpaste to Europe. In the past, toothpastes had a bad and unpleasant taste, just like the taste of medicines. Instead, Ziryab is the person who created the sweet and pleasant-smelling toothpaste that is used all over the world today, like sugar. That is why the great Kurdish sage Ziryab is considered the inventor of the toothbrush and toothpaste all over the world today. (949)
Ziryab is the person who invented a deodorant made of myrrh to get rid of bad odors. (950) Until then, no one in Andalusia used this, and the kings used rose water or basil to get rid of the smell of sweat. (951)
The Kurdish inventor and sage Ziryab also suggested that the Andalusian people use soft and thin bedding instead of linen and feather sheets and duvet covers in their beds. (952) In addition, he taught them to use salt to whiten laundry and remove oil stains from dishes. When people tried this method, they thanked him. (953)
It is stated that Ziryab recommended taking a shower twice a day, morning and evening, and emphasized personal hygiene. We also learn from Ibn Hayyan that he had a large bath built in the garden of the Sitqa Palace. (954)
Ziryab was an important trendsetter of his time, creating schools of fashion, hairstyles and hygiene. His students carried these trends to Europe and North Africa. (955) For centuries and still today, many cosmetics companies use Ziryab’s name, dozens of hotels, restaurants etc. are named “Ziryab”, and many musicians dedicate albums and songs to Ziryab. (956)
► Clothing and Fashion
The Kurdish genius Ziryab became the representative of elegance in Andalusia with his charisma and talent, and revolutionized clothing and cosmetics.
Ziryab was perhaps the first “lifestyle advocate”. He introduced fashion from Baghdad to Córdoba. Society imitated his elegance and distinguished manners. (957)
Before Ziryab, there was no style of clothing according to the season; people would wear thin clothes when the weather was hot and thick clothes when it was cold. This was the whole style of clothing. Ziryab also taught the world what and how to wear. He did not stop at showing people how to dress according to the season, he even created a new fashion with lively and colorful clothes. Ziryab started a fashion by changing clothes according to the weather and season. (958) Accordingly; white and light colored light clothes were worn during the summer, colored silk clothes in the spring, and thick and woolen clothes in the fall and winter. (959)
Ziryab suggested different clothes not only according to the seasons and months, but also for the times of the day, which were morning, afternoon and evening. Henri Terrasse (1895 – 1971), a French historian of North Africa, archaeologist and orientalist, reports that historical accounts attribute winter and summer fashions and the “luxurious clothes of the East” found in Morocco today to Ziryab, but he also says, “Without a doubt, no single man could have accomplished this transformation. It was a development that shook the Muslim world in general.” (960)
He was also a successful fashion designer. He ensured that the finest fabrics and silk garments, which were very popular in Baghdad, and the rarest scents in the mansions of the caliphs and the elite, were brought to Andalusia. Since he was a stylish dresser, he also led the upper classes and the aristocracy to be elegant and dress stylishly. (961) As the arbiter of palace clothing, he determined the first seasonal fashion calendar in Spain. In the spring, men and women were to wear bright colors in their cotton and linen tunics, shirts, blouses and evening dresses. Ziryab introduced colorful silk garments to complement the traditional fabrics. White clothing was the rule in the summer. When the weather cooled, Ziryab recommended the long cloaks decorated with fur, which were very fashionable in Andalusia. (962)
The Arab Muhaddis, historian and writer Ibn Dihya, who was born in Valencia, states that Ziryab was the first person to use a leather bed and the first to adorn himself with wool and silk. (963) In terms of clothing, he introduced the black or navy blue vertical striped clothes on cotton fabric, which were common in Kurdistan and Mesopotamia, to Spain and Europe, and this style of clothing was very popular. This style of clothing is still present, especially in Morocco and other North African countries. (964)
It is really hard to believe and you, our dear readers, will probably smile and laugh while reading, but although it is hard to believe and even makes you laugh, it is a historical fact: The striped pajamas, which belong to the traditional clothing style of the Kurds and which we wear especially inside the house, and which we call “Ghafur pajamas” because of the character “Ghafur” who constantly wears this outfit in a TV series in Turkey, were introduced in Spain by the Kurdish intellect Ziryab and made popular. Later, this type of clothing became the clothing of various societies, cultures and institutions, and then sports clubs. This is the reason why football teams in sports leagues in all countries of the world today wear two-color striped jerseys. In other words, even the two-color striped jerseys of today’s football teams are originally based on the traditional striped pajamas of the Kurds. As I said; it is really hard to believe and you, our dear readers, may smile and laugh while reading, but although it is hard to believe and even makes you laugh, this is a historical fact.
Ziryab was a fashion designer and a style icon who shaped the fashion of his time. When he left Baghdad and went to Andalusia, he brought the Baghdad fashion with him. Ziryab’s arrival in the West, in Andalusia, accelerated the “Orientalization” there. (965)
Ziryab also determined the hair styles of Spain and the Europeans. Before his arrival, European women and men were growing their hair long and combing it in the middle, covering their ears and cheeks. (966) He started a new fashion with his short hair style, where he shortened the bangs to cover the forehead and let the side locks hang down towards the ears. He also made shaving popular among men and determined new haircut trends. (967) Ziryab also cut his own and his wife’s hair in these styles. (968)
So you see; the shaving style we know and call “American shaving” today is actually the “Kurdish shaving” invented by the Kurdish mind Ziryab.
The Kurdish mind Ziryab also taught women how to shape their eyebrows and men how to get rid of unwanted hair. (969)
Ziryab was considered “one of the great fashion makers of his time” who created trends in clothing, hairstyles and hygiene. His students spread this fashion to Europe and North Africa. From there it spread to the world. (970)
Under the influence of the Kurdish intellect Ziryab, there were even changes in furniture styles in Spain and Europe. Kitchen work and table setting were elevated to the level of an art. (971)
Ziryab’s two daughters, Oulayyah and Hamdunah, were the first people to open beauty salons for women in Europe and the world. These noble Kurdish women opened the first beauty salons in the world. These two Kurdish sisters opened these first beauty salons in today’s Seville, Spain. These magnificent Kurdish women created hair styles that were daring for the time. Here they developed and taught beauty and skin care methods. (972)
Ziryab was a man of manners and etiquette. He was a true Kurdish gentleman. He was a perfect example of how a courtier, a person attending aristocratic courts, should behave.
► Sports
The Kurdish mind Ziryab is also the person who brought and introduced the world’s most serious and intelligent game of chess to Europe. (973) There is also archaeological evidence for this. Several miniatures depicting people playing chess have been found in the Cantigas de Santa Maria. (974)
At that time, its name was “shahmat” and it is still called by this name in European countries. (975)
► Folklore and Festival
The Kurdish genius Ziryab also took the Kurds’ Zoroastrian national holidays of Newroz (Nowruz) and Mehregan with him to Spain. After Ziryab went to those lands and made a cultural revolution there, the Newroz holiday was celebrated as an “official holiday” by the Andalusian Islamic Civilization every March 21. (976)
From there it spread to other countries in Europe. Even today, in Germany, where I live, it is celebrated every March 21st under the name of “Frühlingsanfang” (The Beginning of Spring) and a festival is held.
► Science
The Kurdish sage Ziryab was not only an artist and designer, but also one of the most knowledgeable and experienced scientists of his time.
According to the Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan, who was a descendant of a Spanish family that had converted to Islam and was born two hundred years later in Kortoba (Córdoba), the city where Ziryab died, he was very knowledgeable in many branches of classical studies such as Astronomy, Geometry, Geology, History and Geography, in common with the scientists of his time. (977)
Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari mentions in his work that Ziryab was knowledgeable about the seven climates and the conflicts in their nature, their weather, the classification of seas and countries, and their populations. (978)
According to Ibn Hayyan, he was an astrologer who made many innovations in the oud and also knew the movements of the stars. (979) He was interested in astronomy and began to study the stars thanks to the space knowledge he acquired to the maximum extent with the means of that day. The first flying human design also belongs to him. (980)
After him, Ziryab pioneered and paved the way for scientists such as the Andalusian Berber astronomer, alchemist, physicist, philosopher and poet Abbas ibn Firnas ibn Wardus al-Takaruni (810 – 88), the Andalusian Berber philosopher, physician, botanist, physicist, astronomer, poet and musician Ibn Badjdjah or with his full name Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya as-Saigh at-Toudjibi ibn Badjdjah al-Andalusi as-Sarakusti (1085 – 1138), and the famous Andalusian Berber philosopher, theologian, physician, astronomer, physicist, mathematician, psychologist, jurist and jurist Ibn Roshd or with his full name Abu Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Roshd al-Kortobi (1126 – 98). (981)
Ziryab trained Abbas ibn Firnas, a Berber astronomer who later became the first human to fly in human history. (NOTE: We will tell about the life and deeds of Abbas ibn Firnas, the Berber astronomer who was the first human to fly in history, in the next section of this book.)
Ziryab also brought the secret recipes of Chaldean magic and divination, especially for Muslim women, who were a closed and serious society. (982)
He was also the arbiter of taste, style and etiquette for his generation and had a tremendous impact on medieval European society. How people dressed, what they ate, how they groomed themselves, what music they liked, all were influenced by the Kurdish mind Ziryab. Ziryab brought astrologers from India and Jewish doctors from North Africa and Iraq. Astrologers were based on astronomy and Ziryab encouraged the spread of this knowledge. (983)
Yes…
These are the actions of the magnificent Kurdish man Ziryab, who left the greatest traces in history, changed the world and laid the foundations of today’s global civilization and universal culture on earth.
Just telling what he did would take up the volume of a book.
The Andalusian Emir Abdurrahman II, who provided him with all kinds of opportunities, died in Cordoba on September 22, 852. His son Muhammad I ibn Abdurrahman (822 – 86), who was born in Cordoba, became the new emir in his place. (984)
Ziryab also passed away only 5 years after Abdurrahman II’s death.
Who knows; maybe he was saddened by the death of a caliph who had done him so much good and could not bear his absence, so he too returned to the abode of eternal life.
Ziryab passed away on January 27, 857, in the city of Kortoba (Córdoba), which made him the real Ziryab. (985) He was 67 years old when he died. Ziryab’s grave is located in the Rabz Cemetery, on the left of Kanbeniyye Road in Córdoba, just off to the side at the beginning of the cemetery. (986)
This miraculous man who changed the world has left the world. Leaving the entire human family, all nations and cultures grateful to him.
The Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan, who was a descendant of a Spanish family that had converted to Islam and was born two hundred years later in Kortoba (Córdoba), the city where Ziryab died, says the following about Ziryab:
“God has combined in Ziryab all the talents that He has distributed to all the artists in the world.” (987)
The Berber sociologist Ibn Khaldun, who is considered the founder of sociology, says the following about Ziryab:
“Throughout history, there have been many artists, scientists, philosophers, statesmen and military leaders who have had a profound impact on societies and countries. However, no one in history has had such a strong and lasting impact on the world as Ziryab. Ziryab left such a mark on the world that it will last until the Day of Judgment.
Ziryab’s influence and power swept away all of Spain and North Africa like the giant waves of the ocean, leaving behind an immortal legacy.” (988)
Algerian historian and biographer Ahmad al-Maqqari says the following about Ziryab:
“Neither before nor after him has there been a person more loved and admired in his profession than Ziryab.” (989)
The English historian and orientalist Reynold Alleyne Nicholson (1868 – 1945), an expert in Islamic literature and Sufism, also says the following about Ziryab:
“Ziryab is the only model that has continued its existence for centuries without hesitation and will continue to be so. No one in history has been able to reach the depths of the human mind and soul at the same time as powerfully as he has.” (990)
The Kurdish intelligence Ziryab was such a person.
In this case, the answer to the question we asked at the beginning of the article, “Can a single person change the world?”, is also given. The answer is: “Normally no, but if that person is a Kurd, then yes.”
This is the intelligence and wisdom of the Kurd, the virtue and nobility of Kurdishness. And this was not the first time the Kurd did this. This was not the first time the Kurd changed the world.
He did it before, in 2300 BC with the couple Abraham – Sarah.
He did it in 1300 BC with Tadukhepa (Nefertiti; Asiyah).
He did it in 1200 BC with Pudukhepa.
He did it in 660s BC with Zoroaster.
He did it in 612 BC with the Blacksmith Kawa (Khavakhshtra II; Kiyakhares II; Keykhusrew).
He did it in 711 with Tariq ibn Ziyad.
He did it between 720 – 67 with Imam Āzām Abu Hanifa.
He did it between 822 – 57 with Ziryab.
But Ziryab was not the last member of this tradition. The Kurd continued to leave his mark on history and change the world.
He did it in the 1100s with Sūhrawardi.
He did it in 1187 with Saladin Ayyubi.
He did it in the 1700s with Kareem Khan Zand.
He did it in the 1800s with Mawlānā Khalid Shahrazori.
Ziryab revolutionized Kortoba (Córdoba) and made it the style capital of his time. Whether it was new clothing, hairstyles, food, hygiene products or music, Ziryab changed Andalusian culture forever and from there to global culture. The musical contributions of Kurdish musician Ziryab are the foundation of classical Spanish music.
With the vicissitudes of history, his name has been erased from public memory in the Western world. But the changes he brought to Europe are a large part of the reality we know today.
150 years after Ziryab’s death, approaching the years 1000s, students from France, England and the rest of Europe flocked to Kortoba (Córdoba) to study Science, Medicine and Philosophy and to benefit from the city’s vast 600.000 volume library. When they returned home, they took with them not only knowledge but also art, music, cuisine, fashion and etiquette. Europe found itself filled with new ideas and new traditions, and among the many rivers flowing north from the Iberian Peninsula was the most powerful river, directed by Ziryab. (991)
A music school in Tunisia was named after Ziryab.
Today, the city of Kortoba (Córdoba) still hosts numerous monuments dedicated to this Kurdish musician. In the city center of Kortoba (Córdoba), there is the “Monumento a Ziryab” (Ziryab Monument). A statue of Ziryab has been erected in the city. The city also hosts the Córdoba Professional Music Conservatory known as “Músico Ziryab”: “Coro Ziryab” (Ziryab Choir), founded in 1993, and even a street named after Ziryab. (992)
Spanish guitarist Francisco Sánchez Gómez (1947 – 2014), known as Paco de Lucía and considered one of the most important guitarists in Flamenco music, dedicated an album to him in 1990 called “Zyryab”. (993)
Yes… This miraculous man who changed the world, Ziryab, passed away in 857, at the age of 67. Leaving the entire human family, all nations and cultures grateful to him.
May God have abundant mercy on him.
Today, the entire human family and all nations of the world owe today’s global culture and modern lifestyle to him.
All humanity is grateful to Ziryab.
We, the Kurds, the grandchildren and compatriots of Ziryab, are eternally grateful to three great historical figures for preventing the destruction of such a valuable person as Ziryab, and even for supporting him at the highest level and enabling him to achieve all these:
The first; the Andalusian Emir Al-Hakam I, who invited the Kurdish musician Ziryab to Andalusia (Spain), who was living in exile in Tunisia due to being exiled from Baghdad.
Secondly; the chief musician of Andalusia at the time, the Jewish artist Mansour al-Yahudi, when the Andalusian Emir Al-Hakam I passed away as soon as Ziryab set foot on Spanish soil and no one asked for him, Ziryab lost hope and decided to return to North Africa, who went to the new emir of Andalusia, Abdurrahman II, in the palace and told him about Ziryab and asked him to stay in Andalusia and take ownership of him.
Third; Andalusian Emir Abdurrahman II, who provided Ziryab with all kinds of opportunities in Andalusia, supported him until the end of his life, and even protected Ziryab against his enemies.
May God have mercy on all three of them. Two of them were Muslim statesmen who served as caliphs in Andalusia, and one was a Jewish artist. These three esteemed names will forever have a most special place in the hearts of us Kurds.
And of course, thanks to the Kurdish artist Ishaq al-Mosuli, the chief musician of the Abbasids, for expelling Ziryab from Baghdad. If he had not expelled his student Ziryab from Baghdad out of jealousy and fearing that “my charisma would be tarnished”, Ziryab would never have even visited the lands of Andalusia (Spain) that made him the real Ziryab. And perhaps, even most probably, he would not have been able to realize such a tremendous and global cultural revolution.
The jealousy and envy among the Kurds is a known thing, unfortunately. Unfortunately, we have been carrying this microbe that rots our society from the inside like gangrene for centuries and we have never been able to get rid of it. This is why we have always been left behind, we have not been able to break the chains of slavery.
However, in this incident, the jealousy and envy among the Kurds has been for the first time for the benefit of both the Kurds and all of humanity.
In this regard, one issue that needs to be discussed and thought about, especially for today’s Kurdish society, is why a sublime and universal value like Ziryab is not sufficiently known by the Kurds, and even if it is known, it is not embraced.
However, today in Kurdistan and in different parts of the world, in every country where Kurds live, schools, institutes, associations, art institutions, magazines and workplaces should have been opened in the name of Ziryab. Ziryab’s name should have been kept alive by Kurds in every area of life.
Because Ziryab alone is enough to tell the world that Kurds are the “founding element” of life on this planet and the pioneer of today’s global culture and contemporary lifestyle. And that’s while the world also accepts this.
Unfortunately, especially in the last 60 – 70 years, the Kurds have been exposed to the corruptive poisons of ideological movements and political movements, and have been transformed into a herd whose mental faculties have been destroyed by the “Kurdish organizations” and “Kurdish parties” that claim to be fighting on their behalf.
These ideological movements and movements have created a strange Kurdish mass that does not know its own history, is even hostile to its own historical values, but admires the Socialist militants in Latin America and sanctifies the Islamist types in the Middle East.
These “Kurdish movements” that claim to have emerged and fought on behalf of the Kurds, believe me, my brothers and sisters, have done a greater harm to the Kurds than the states that have kept Kurdistan under their sovereignty.
They made the Kurds forget the Ziryabs, made them enemies of the Saladin Ayyubis, alienated them from the Sūhrawardis. Instead, they created a freak and degenerate Kurdish profile that admires the Socialist militants in Latin America and sanctifies the Islamist types in the Middle East.
Unfortunately.
– will continue –
FOOTNOTES:
(780): Although it is certain that Ziryab was born in a village near Mosul, various sources mention dates such as 790, 789, 788 and 787 regarding his birth date. However, the most reliable date is 789, which is the birth date accepted as correct by the majority of researchers and historians.
(781): Bahrouz Khazrayi, نگاهی به احوال زریاب, p. 18, فصلنامه داخلی خانه موسیقی ایرانی, issue 14 – 15, Tehran 1978 / Jesus Greus, Ziryab, p. 319, Éditions Phébus, Paris 1993 / Sigrid Hunke, Shams’ul-Arab Tastā-u Āla’l-Gharb, p. 488, Dar’ul-Djil Nashriyat, Beirut 1993 / Sigrid Hunke, Allahs Sonne über dem Abendland – Unser Arabisches Erbe, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (DVA), Stuttgart 1960, Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2001 / Ana Ruiz, Vibrant Andalusia: The Spice of Life in Southern Spain, p. 53, Algora Publishing, Alcaizería & New York 2007 / Kutay Derin Kugay, The Way of Kurdish Music, p. 22, Sing Out, issue 51, Summer 2007 / John Gill, Andalucia: A Cultural History, p. 81, Oxford University Press, Oxford & Madrid & Ciudad de México & New York & Toronto & Nairobi & Dar es Salaam & Cape Town & New Delhi & Karachi & Hong Kong & Shanghai & Taipei & Kuala Lumpur & Melbourne & Auckland 2008 / Ziauddin Sardar – Robin Yassin-Kassab, Critical Muslim 06: Reclaiming Al-Andalus, p. 105, C. Hurst & Co. Ltd. Publishing, London 2013 / Małgorzata Grajter, The Orient in Music – Music of the Orient, p. 44, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Cambridge 2017 / Mücahit Özden Hun, Ziryab: Endülüs Güneşi, Alter Yayınları, Ankara 2020 / Mónica Cello, Los Kurdos, Transoxiana, 2 June 2001, http://www.transoxiana.com.ar/0102/kurdos.html / Asrar Chowdhury, Ziryab: The Blackbird of Al Andalus, The Daily Star, 12 May 2013, https://www.thedailystar.net/news/ziryab-the-blackbird-of-al-andalus / İrfan Güler, Bir Kürt Dengbêjin Hikâyesi, Zazaki.net, 21 January 2015, https://www.zazaki.net/haber/bir-kurd-dengbjin-hikayesi-1831.htm / Ahmet Ay, Zoraw ya da Ziryab, Milat Gazetesi, 25 March 2015, https://www.milatgazetesi.com/zoraw-ya-da-ziryab-164600 / Baran Zeydanlıoğlu, Endülüs ve İspanyol Kültürüne Yön Veren Kürt: Ziryab, Bitlisname, 12 June 2017, https://candname.com/tr/?p=14849 / Ozan Dilek, Endülüs’te Avrupa’nın İlk Konservatuarını Kuran Kürt: Ziryab, Genç Öncüler Dergisi, January 2018, https://www.ilimvemedeniyet.com/enduluste-avrupanin-ilk-konservatuarini-kuran-kurt-ziryab / İrfan Güler, Unutulmuş Bilge Bir Kürd’ün Hikâyesi: Ziryab (Ebû Hasan Ali bin Nafî), Bitlisname, 4 October 2018, https://candname.com/tr/?p=21304 / Mücahit Özden Hun, Unutulan Bir Kürt Bilgesi: Ziryab, Hun Akademisi, 9 January 2020, https://hunacademy.com/unutulan-bir-kurt-bilgesi-ziryab/ / Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1 / Sayın Baran Zeydanlıoğlu ile Bilge ve Müzısyen Ziryab’ı Tanıyalım, Ethem Değer Kalêsorro, Rodin Media, 3 March 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4l28i-2GWE / Şakir Diclehan, Endülüs Kültürüne Yön Veren Efsane Bir Kürt: Ziryab – 1, Haber Duruş, 16 November 2021, https://www.haberdurus.com/haber/endulus_kulturune_yon_veren_efsane_bir_kurt_ziryab-60889.html / Şakir Diclehan, Endülüs Kültürüne Yön Veren Efsane Bir Kürt: Ziryab – 2, Haber Duruş, 23 November 2021, https://www.haberdurus.com/haber/endulus_kulturune_yon_veren_efsane_bir_kurt_ziryab_-2–61022.html / Muhsin Kızılkaya, Ziryab: Bir Dahinin Olağanüstü Hikâyesi, Habertürk, 19 November 2023, https://www.haberturk.com/ozel-icerikler/muhsin-kizilkaya-2291/3638280-ziryab-bir-dhinin-olaganustu-hikayesi / Hasan Mert Kaya, Bağdat’tan Endülüs’e Doğan Güneş: Ziryab, Milliyet Gazetesi, 26 November 2023, https://www.milliyet.com.tr/gundem/bagdattan-enduluse-dogan-gunes-ziryab-7040240 / Avrupa Müziğinin Maestro (Üstâdı) Kürt Ziryab, Dağların Ülkesi – Welatê Çiyayan, 6 January 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wkKtXx1pyc / Şeyhmus Kaya, Ziryab, Amida Haber, 25 March 2024, https://amidahaber.com/yazarlar/seyhmus-kaya/ziryab-359 / Ziryab | Karambolage España, Irgendwas mit ARTE und Kultur, May 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHHJBXX-dNw / Arslan Özdemir, Ziryabê Kurd û Flamenco, Xwebûn, 14 July 2024, https://xwebun2.org/ziryabe-kurd-u-flamenco/ / Ziryab | Karambolage España, ARTE TV, Ocak 2025, https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/117225-011-A/karambolage-espana-ziryab/ / Simin Jalavand, Ziryab the Father of Flamenco Music, Toos Foundation, https://toosfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ziryab-bazar-hafte-1.pdf / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(782): Ibn Khaldun, Kitab’al-Iber wa Diwan’al-Mubtadā wa’l-Khabar fi Ayyam’il-Arab wa’l- Adjam wa’l-Berber waman Âsharahoum min Zawi’s-Soltan’il-Akbar, volume 5, Algiers 1851 / Bahrouz Khazrayi, نگاهی به احوال زریاب, p. 18, فصلنامه داخلی خانه موسیقی ایرانی, issue 14 – 15, Tehran 1978
(783): Sigrid Hunke, Allahs Sonne über dem Abendland – Unser Arabisches Erbe, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (DVA), Stuttgart 1960, Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2001
(784): Aly Mazahéri, La vie Quotidienne des Musulmans au Moyen Âge: Xe au XIIIe Siècle, Librarie Hachette, Paris 1951
(785): Ali Mazaheri, Ortaçağ’da Müslümanlar’ın Yaşayışları, translated by Bahriye Üçok, p. 86, Varlık Yayınları, Istanbul 1972
(786): Thomas Bois, The Kurds, p. 61, Khayats Publishing, Beirut 1966
(787): Muhammed Mehimen İbrahim, زریاب منجازاتە وأبرز مبتکراتە الموسیقیة, Al-Bahout’ul-Mawsiqiya, 10 August 2019, https://web.archive.org/web/20190810113209/https://www.iasj.net/iasj?func=fulltext&aId=25281
(788): Wikipedia (Sorani Kurdish), article “زەڕیاب”, https://ckb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B2%DB%95%DA%95%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8
(789): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 308, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003
(790): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 122, Cairo 1885
(791): Encyclopaedia of Islam, Martinus Theodorus Houtsma, article “Ziryāb”, Brill Publishing, Leiden 1936 / The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians, volume 2, Ernest Albert Wier, article “Ziryab”, p. 2064, The Macmillan Company Publishing, New York 1938 / Hasan Ibrahim, Tarikh’al-Islam: Al-Asr’al-Abbasi, Al-Mada’s-Saqafîya, issue 337, p. 11, December 2006 / Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 263 – 293, February 2009
(792): Encyclopaedia of Islam, volume 11, Henry George Farmer – Eckhard Neubauer, article “Ziryāb”, Brill Publishing, Leiden 2008
(793): İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 29, İsmail Yiğit, article “mevâlî”, p. 424 – 426, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı Yayınları, Ankara 2004
(794): Dwight Fletcher Reynolds, Al-Maqqari’s Ziryab: The Making of A Myth, Middle Eastern Literatures, issue 11, p. 165, August 2008, https://www.religion.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/Ziryab.pdf
(795): Baran Zeydanlıoğlu, Endülüs ve İspanyol Kültürüne Yön Veren Kürt: Ziryab, Bitlisname, 12 June 2017, https://candname.com/tr/?p=14849 / Ozan Dilek, Endülüs’te Avrupa’nın İlk Konservatuarını Kuran Kürt: Ziryab, Genç Öncüler Dergisi, January 2018, https://www.ilimvemedeniyet.com/enduluste-avrupanin-ilk-konservatuarini-kuran-kurt-ziryab / İrfan Güler, Unutulmuş Bilge Bir Kürd’ün Hikâyesi: Ziryab (Ebû Hasan Ali bin Nafî), Bitlisname, 4 October 2018, https://candname.com/tr/?p=21304 / Sayın Baran Zeydanlıoğlu ile Bilge ve Müzısyen Ziryab’ı Tanıyalım, Ethem Değer Kalêsorro, Rodin Media, 3 March 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4l28i-2GWE / Şakir Diclehan, Endülüs Kültürüne Yön Veren Efsane Bir Kürt: Ziryab – 1, Haber Duruş, 16 November 2021, https://www.haberdurus.com/haber/endulus_kulturune_yon_veren_efsane_bir_kurt_ziryab-60889.html / Muhsin Kızılkaya, Ziryab: Bir Dahinin Olağanüstü Hikâyesi, Habertürk, 19 November 2023, https://www.haberturk.com/ozel-icerikler/muhsin-kizilkaya-2291/3638280-ziryab-bir-dhinin-olaganustu-hikayesi / Avrupa Müziğinin Maestro (Üstâdı) Kürt Ziryab, Dağların Ülkesi – Welatê Çiyayan, 6 January 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wkKtXx1pyc / Şeyhmus Kaya, Ziryab, Amida Haber, 25 March 2024, https://amidahaber.com/yazarlar/seyhmus-kaya/ziryab-359 / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(796): “Abbasids” and “Baghdad” in all sources in the world
(797): Farabi, Kitab’ul-Musika’l-Kabir, Baghdad 930
(798): Ibn Khaldun, Mukaddime, p. 544, Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı Yayınları, Istanbul 1991
(799): “Ibrahim al-Mosuli”, “Ishaq al-Mosuli” and “Ziryab” in all sources in the world
(800): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, Cairo 1885
(801): ibid
(802): Mahmoud Ahmad Khifni, Ziryab – Abu Hasan Ali ibn Nafi: Musikar’al-Andalus, p. 17 – 18, Dar’ul-Misriyya li’t-Talif wa’l-Tardjoma, Cairo undated
(803): Ahmed Hakkı Turabi, İlk Dönem İslam Dünyasında Musikî Çalışmalarına Bakış, Marmara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, issue 13 – 14 – 15, p. 225 – 248, Istanbul 1997 / Ahmed Hakkı Turabi, İbn Camî (ö. 808): Kureyşli Meşhur Muğannî ve Bestekâr, Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, issue 9, p. 164, Sivas 2005
(804): Ibn Abdurabbih, Kitab’ul-Iqdu’l-Farid, volume 6, p. 34 – 36, Publications of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and Guidance, Cairo 1953
(805): ibid, volume 6, p. 37
(806): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 1, p. 344 and volume 3, p. 122, Cairo 1885
(807): Mahmoud Ahmad Khifni, Ziryab – Abu Hasan Ali ibn Nafi: Musikar’al-Andalus, p. 27 – 28, Dar’ul-Misriyya li’t-Talif wa’l-Tardjoma, Cairo undated
(808): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 122, Cairo 1885
(809): Baran Zeydanlıoğlu, Endülüs ve İspanyol Kültürüne Yön Veren Kürt: Ziryab, Bitlisname, 12 June 2017, https://candname.com/tr/?p=14849 / Ozan Dilek, Endülüs’te Avrupa’nın İlk Konservatuarını Kuran Kürt: Ziryab, Genç Öncüler Dergisi, January 2018, https://www.ilimvemedeniyet.com/enduluste-avrupanin-ilk-konservatuarini-kuran-kurt-ziryab / İrfan Güler, Unutulmuş Bilge Bir Kürd’ün Hikâyesi: Ziryab (Ebû Hasan Ali bin Nafî), Bitlisname, 4 October 2018, https://candname.com/tr/?p=21304 / Sayın Baran Zeydanlıoğlu ile Bilge ve Müzısyen Ziryab’ı Tanıyalım, Ethem Değer Kalêsorro, Rodin Media, 3 March 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4l28i-2GWE / Şakir Diclehan, Endülüs Kültürüne Yön Veren Efsane Bir Kürt: Ziryab – 1, Haber Duruş, 16 November 2021, https://www.haberdurus.com/haber/endulus_kulturune_yon_veren_efsane_bir_kurt_ziryab-60889.html / Muhsin Kızılkaya, Ziryab: Bir Dahinin Olağanüstü Hikâyesi, Habertürk, 19 November 2023, https://www.haberturk.com/ozel-icerikler/muhsin-kizilkaya-2291/3638280-ziryab-bir-dhinin-olaganustu-hikayesi / Avrupa Müziğinin Maestro (Üstâdı) Kürt Ziryab, Dağların Ülkesi – Welatê Çiyayan, 6 January 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wkKtXx1pyc / Şeyhmus Kaya, Ziryab, Amida Haber, 25 March 2024, https://amidahaber.com/yazarlar/seyhmus-kaya/ziryab-359 / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(810): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 122, Cairo 1885
(811): Hūseyn Munis, Mawsuat-ū Tarikh’il- Andalus, volume 1, p. 87, Cairo 1996
(812): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 122, Cairo 1885 / Encyclopaedia of Islam, Martinus Theodorus Houtsma, article “Ziryāb”, Brill Publishing, Leiden 1936 / Encyclopaedia of Islam, volume 11, Henry George Farmer – Eckhard Neubauer, article “Ziryāb”, Brill Publishing, Leiden 2008 / dozens of other sources like these
(813): Khayreddin Zirikli, Kāmūs-ū Teradjim li Ashhar’ir-Ridjāl wa’n-Nisā mina’l-Arab wa’l-Mūsta’rabīn wa’l-Mūstashrikīn, volume 5, p. 28, Dar’ul-Ilm li’l-Malāyīn Nashriyat, Beirut 1980
(814): Adnan Adıgüzel – Esra Sinjar, Geçmişten Günümüze Musikîşinas Ziryab’ın Endülüs Kültür Hayatına ve Avrupa’ya Etkileri, Yakındoğu Üniversitesi İslam Tetkikleri Merkezi Dergisi, volume 2, issue 1, p. 77, Spring 2016, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/530686
(815): Mahmoud Ahmad Khifni, Ziryab – Abu Hasan Ali ibn Nafi: Musikar’al-Andalus, p. 10, Dar’ul-Misriyya li’t-Talif wa’l-Tardjoma, Cairo undated
(816): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 318, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 127, Cairo 1885 / Muhammad Basher Hasan Radī al-Āmiri, At-Tafāul’ul-Hadari Bayna Ahl’il-Andalus’il-Moslemeen wa’l-Isban an-Nasārā fi’l-Qorūn’il-Wostā, p. 94 – 95, Dar’ul-Kutub’il Ilmiyya Nashriyat, Beirut 2015 / Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 268, February 2009
(817): Ziryab et Ibn Sina un Maître Inspirant, Musique Part 1, Atlane Astro, 27 December 2022, https://atlaneastro.fr/article/ziryabn-et-ibn-sina/ / Guitare Entre Flamenco et Musique Arabo-Andalouse, Opera Venir, 7 March 2023, https://www.operavenir.com/guitare-entre-flamenco-et-musique-arabo-andalouse/
(818): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 310 – 312, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 122 – 124, Cairo 1885 / Muhammad Basher Hasan Radī al-Āmiri, At-Tafāul’ul-Hadari Bayna Ahl’il-Andalus’il-Moslemeen wa’l-Isban an-Nasārā fi’l-Qorūn’il-Wostā, p. 94, Dar’ul-Kutub’il Ilmiyya Nashriyat, Beirut 2015 / Sigrid Hunke, Allahs Sonne über dem Abendland – Unser Arabisches Erbe, p. 401 – 402, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (DVA), Stuttgart 1960, Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2001 / Owen Wright, Music In Muslim Spain: The Legacy of Muslim Spain, p. 556, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1992 / Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, p. 117, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994 / Olivia Remie Constable, Medieval Iberia, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia 1997 / María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000 / Joel Epstein, The Language of the Heart: A Musical, Fantastical Journey Through a Land of Magic, p. 234 – 237, Juwal Publishing, Tel Aviv 2019 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/ / Sayın Baran Zeydanlıoğlu ile Bilge ve Müzısyen Ziryab’ı Tanıyalım, Ethem Değer Kalêsorro, Rodin Media, 3 March 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4l28i-2GWE / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(819): Ahmad ibn abu Tahir ibn Tayfur, Kitab-ū Baghdad, Hūseynī – Kawsarī Nashriyat, Cairo 1949 / Carl Davila, A Misbegotten Biography: Ziryab In The Mediterranean World, Al Masaq, issue 21, p. 121 – 136, August 2009
(820): Ibn Abdurabbih, Kitab’ul-Iqdu’l-Farid, volume 6, p. 37, Publications of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and Guidance, Cairo 1953 / Encyclopaedia of Islam, volume 11, Henry George Farmer – Eckhard Neubauer, article “Ziryāb”, Brill Publishing, Leiden 2008 / Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 269, February 2009 / Carl Davila, A Misbegotten Biography: Ziryab In The Mediterranean World, Al Masaq, issue 21, p. 127, August 2009
(821): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, Cairo 1885
(822): Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 269, February 2009 / Encyclopaedia of Islam, volume 11, Henry George Farmer – Eckhard Neubauer, article “Ziryāb”, Brill Publishing, Leiden 2008 / Joel Epstein, The Language of the Heart: A Musical, Fantastical Journey Through a Land of Magic, p. 234 – 237, Juwal Publishing, Tel Aviv 2019
(823): Ibn Abdurabbih, Kitab’ul-Iqdu’l-Farid, volume 6, p. 37, Publications of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and Guidance, Cairo 1953 / Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 129, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929 / Encyclopaedia of Islam, volume 11, Henry George Farmer – Eckhard Neubauer, article “Ziryāb”, Brill Publishing, Leiden 2008 / Lexikon des Mittelalters, volume 9, Hans-Rudolf Singer, article “Ziryab”, p. 628 et seq., Coron Verlag, Lachen am See 2002 / Carl Davila, A Misbegotten Biography: Ziryab In The Mediterranean World, Al Masaq, issue 21, p. 127, August 2009
(824): Owen Wright, Music In Muslim Spain: The Legacy of Muslim Spain, p. 557, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1992
(825): “Hisham I” and “Al-Hakam I” in all sources
(826): İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 11, Mehmet Özdemir, “Endülüs”, p. 213, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1995
(827): Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları: İlim ve Kültür Tarihi, p. 117, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1997
(828): Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları, volume 1, p. 69, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1994
(829): ibid, volume 1, p. 73
(830): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 130, Cairo 1885
(831): ibid, volume 3, p. 140 – 141
(832): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 312 – 313, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 124 – 125, Cairo 1885 / dozens of other sources like these
(833): All resources in the world
(834): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 325 – 326, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 130 – 131, Cairo 1885 / María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000
(835): ibid / ibid
(836): Bahrouz Khazrayi, نگاهی به احوال زریاب, p. 18, فصلنامه داخلی خانه موسیقی ایرانی, issue 14 – 15, Tehran 1978
(837): “Al-Hakam I” and “Abdurrahman II” in all sources
(838): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 85 et seq., Cairo 1885 / Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 129 and 131, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929 / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(839): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 313, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid, volume 3, p. 125 / Carl Davila, A Misbegotten Biography: Ziryab In The Mediterranean World, Al Masaq, issue 21, August 2009 / İbrahim Sediyani, ibid
(840): Ibn Hayyan, ibid, p. 313 / Dwight Fletcher Reynolds, Al-Maqqari’s Ziryab: The Making of A Myth, Middle Eastern Literatures, issue 11, p. 159, August 2008, https://www.religion.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/Ziryab.pdf
(841): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 125, Cairo 1885
(842): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 313, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003
(843): Ibn Hayyan, ibid, p. 313 – 314 / Encyclopaedia of Islam, volume 11, Henry George Farmer – Eckhard Neubauer, article “Ziryāb”, Brill Publishing, Leiden 2008
(844): Ibn Khaldun, Mukaddime, volume 2, p. 761 – 762, Dergah Yayınları, Istanbul 2009
(845): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 125, Cairo 1885
(846): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 314, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003
(847): İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(848): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 125, Cairo 1885 / Muhammad Basher Hasan Radī al-Āmiri, At-Tafāul’ul-Hadari Bayna Ahl’il-Andalus’il-Moslemeen wa’l-Isban an-Nasārā fi’l-Qorūn’il-Wostā, p. 94, Dar’ul-Kutub’il Ilmiyya Nashriyat, Beirut 2015 / María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000
(849): Reinhart Pieter Anne Dozy, Histoire des Musulmans d’Espagne: Jusqu’à la Conquete de l’Andalousie par les Almoravides (711 – 1110), volume 1, p. 78, Éditeur Brill, Leiden 1861
(850): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 125, Cairo 1885
(851): ibid
(852): Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 99, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929
(853): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 315, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Charles Reginald Haines, Christianity and Islam in Spain (A. D. 756 – 1031), p. 146, World Public Library Association, London 1889
(854): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 127, Cairo 1885 / Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 130, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929
(855): Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid, p. 125 and 127 / Reinhart Pieter Anne Dozy, Histoire des Musulmans d’Espagne: Jusqu’à la Conquete de l’Andalousie par les Almoravides (711 – 1110), volume 1, p. 78, Éditeur Brill, Leiden 1861
(856): Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 99, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929
(857): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 127, Cairo 1885
(858): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 316, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003
(859): Ibn Hayyan, ibid, p. 319 / Muhammad Basher Hasan Radī al-Āmiri, At-Tafāul’ul-Hadari Bayna Ahl’il-Andalus’il-Moslemeen wa’l-Isban an-Nasārā fi’l-Qorūn’il-Wostā, p. 94, Dar’ul-Kutub’il Ilmiyya Nashriyat, Beirut 2015
(860): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 125 – 126, Cairo 1885
(861): Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid, volume 3, p. 127 / Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 130, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929 / Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları: İlim ve Kültür Tarihi, p. 118, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1997
(862): Lexikon des Mittelalters, volume 9, Hans-Rudolf Singer, article “Ziryab”, Coron Verlag, Lachen am See 2002
(863): Attilio Gaudio, Maroc du Nord: Cités Andalouses et Montagnes Berbères, p. 170, Nouvelles Editions Latines, Paris 1981
(864): Hūseyn Munis, Mawsuat-ū Tarikh’il- Andalus, volume 1, p. 87, Cairo 1996 / Sigrid Hunke, Allahs Sonne über dem Abendland – Unser Arabisches Erbe, p. 403, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (DVA), Stuttgart 1960, Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2001 / Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları: İlim ve Kültür Tarihi, p. 117, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1997
(865): Mehmet Özdemir, ibid, p. 117 – 118
(866): Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 99, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929
(867): ibid, p. 130 / Carl Davila, A Misbegotten Biography: Ziryab In The Mediterranean World, Al Masaq, issue 21, p. 121 – 136, August 2009
(868): ibid, p. 110 / Ahmet Hakkı Turabî, İlk Dönem İslam Dünyasında Musiki Çalışmalarına Bakış, Marmara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, issue 13 – 15, p. 245, Istanbul 1997, https://www.academia.edu/36310754/%C4%B0lk_D%C3%B6nem_%C4%B0sl%C3%A2m_D%C3%BCnyas%C4%B1nda_Musik%C3%AE_%C3%87al%C4%B1%C5%9Fmalar%C4%B1na_Bak%C4%B1%C5%9F_Ahmet_Hakk%C4%B1_TURAB%C3%8E
(869): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 128 – 129, Cairo 1885 / Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 111, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929
(870): Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid, volume 3, p. 126 / Mūnīr Baalbeki, فرهنگزندگینامهٔ المورد, article “Ziryab”, p. 220, Dar’ul-Ālam li’l-Malayīn Nashriyat, Beirut 1992 / Philip Khuri Hitti, Siyasî ve Kültürel İslam Tarihi, volume 3, p. 950, Bilge Kültür Sanat Yayınevi, Istanbul 1995 / Sigrid Hunke, Allahs Sonne über dem Abendland – Unser Arabisches Erbe, p. 405, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (DVA), Stuttgart 1960, Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2001 / Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları: İlim ve Kültür Tarihi, p. 118, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1997 / Larry Francis Hilarian, The Structure and Development of the Gambus (Malay-Lutes), The Galpin Society Journal, issue 58, p. 71, May 2005, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25163827
(871): Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid
(872): An Encyclopedia Routledge Encyclopedias of The Middle Ages, volume 1, Medieval Islamic Civilization, Jesus de Prado Plumed, “Ziryab – Abu’l Hasan Ali bin Nafi”, p. 875, Routledge Publishing, New York 2005
(873): Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, p. 117, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994
(874): Olivia Remie Constable, Medieval Iberia, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia 1997 / María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000
(875): Vikipedi (Turkish), article “Ziryâb”, https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziry%C3%A2b / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(876): Hūseyn Munis, Mawsuat-ū Tarikh’il- Andalus, volume 1, p. 87, Cairo 1996 / Sigrid Hunke, Allahs Sonne über dem Abendland – Unser Arabisches Erbe, p. 403, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (DVA), Stuttgart 1960, Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2001 / Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları: İlim ve Kültür Tarihi, p. 117, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1997
(877): Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, p. 110, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929
(878): An Encyclopedia Routledge Encyclopedias of The Middle Ages, volume 1, Medieval Islamic Civilization, Jesus de Prado Plumed, “Ziryab – Abu’l Hasan Ali bin Nafi”, p. 875, Routledge Publishing, New York 2005 / Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 269, February 2009
(879): Şeyhmus Kaya, Ziryab, Amida Haber, 25 March 2024, https://amidahaber.com/yazarlar/seyhmus-kaya/ziryab-359
(880): Baran Zeydanlıoğlu, Endülüs ve İspanyol Kültürüne Yön Veren Kürt: Ziryab, Bitlisname, 12 June 2017, https://candname.com/tr/?p=14849
(881): Vincent J. Cornell, Voice of Islam, volume 4, Jean Louis Michon, “Music and Spiritualty in Islam”, p. 78, Praeger Perspectives Publishing, London 2007
(882): An Encyclopedia Routledge Encyclopedias of The Middle Ages, volume 1, Medieval Islamic Civilization, Jesus de Prado Plumed, “Ziryab – Abu’l Hasan Ali bin Nafi”, p. 876, Routledge Publishing, New York 2005
(883): Vincent J. Cornell, Voice of Islam, volume 4, Jean Louis Michon, “Music and Spiritualty in Islam”, p. 78, Praeger Perspectives Publishing, London 2007
(884): An Encyclopedia Routledge Encyclopedias of The Middle Ages, volume 1, Medieval Islamic Civilization, Jesus de Prado Plumed, “Ziryab – Abu’l Hasan Ali bin Nafi”, p. 876, Routledge Publishing, New York 2005
(885): Wikipedia (French), article “Ziriab”, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziriab
(886): Roger Garaudy, L’Islam en Occident: Cordoue – Une Capitale de l’Esprit, p. 269, Éditions L’Harmattan, Paris 2000
(887): Wikipedia (Persian), article “زریاب”, https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B2%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8
(888): Wikipedia (Kurmandji Kurdish), article “Ziryab”, https://ku.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziryab
(889): Şeyhmus Kaya, Ziryab, Amida Haber, 25 March 2024, https://amidahaber.com/yazarlar/seyhmus-kaya/ziryab-359
(890): Roger Garaudy, L’Islam en Occident: Cordoue – Une Capitale de l’Esprit, p. 267 – 268, Éditions L’Harmattan, Paris 2000
(891): Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1
(892): Muhammad Basher Hasan Radī al-Āmiri, At-Tafāul’ul-Hadari Bayna Ahl’il-Andalus’il-Moslemeen wa’l-Isban an-Nasārā fi’l-Qorūn’il-Wostā, p. 95, Dar’ul-Kutub’il Ilmiyya Nashriyat, Beirut 2015 / Adnan Adıgüzel – Esra Sinjar, Geçmişten Günümüze Musikîşinas Ziryab’ın Endülüs Kültür Hayatına ve Avrupa’ya Etkileri, Yakındoğu Üniversitesi İslam Tetkikleri Merkezi Dergisi, volume 2, issue 1, p. 77, Spring 2016, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/530686
(893): Wikipedia (French), article “Ziriab”, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziriab
(894): Wikipedia (Kurmandji Kurdish), article “Ziryab”, https://ku.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziryab
(895): Adnan Adıgüzel – Esra Sinjar, Geçmişten Günümüze Musikîşinas Ziryab’ın Endülüs Kültür Hayatına ve Avrupa’ya Etkileri, Yakındoğu Üniversitesi İslam Tetkikleri Merkezi Dergisi, volume 2, issue 1, p. 77, Spring 2016, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/530686
(896): Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1
(897): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 325 – 326, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 130 – 131, Cairo 1885 / María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000
(898): María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, ibid
(899): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 129, Cairo 1885 / An Encyclopedia Routledge Encyclopedias of The Middle Ages, volume 1, Medieval Islamic Civilization, Jesus de Prado Plumed, “Ziryab – Abu’l Hasan Ali bin Nafi”, p. 875, Routledge Publishing, New York 2005
(900): Carl Davila, A Misbegotten Biography: Ziryab In The Mediterranean World, Al Masaq, issue 21, p. 121 – 136, August 2009
(901): Umar Rida Kahala, A’alam’al-Nisa fi Ālam-i Arab wa Islami, volume 1, p. 294, Mawsisat’ar-Risala Nashriyat, Beirut 1959
(902): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 129, Cairo 1885
(903): Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(904): Roger Garaudy, L’Islam en Occident: Cordoue – Une Capitale de l’Esprit, p. 267 – 268, Éditions L’Harmattan, Paris 2000
(905): María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000
(906): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, Cairo 1885
(907): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 316, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003
(908): Ibn Hazm, Tawq’ul-Hamama fi’l-Olfatī wa’l-Ollaf, p. 116, Sayrafi Nashriyat, Cairo 1950
(909): Mahdi Shetayeshgar, Namname-ye Musiqi-ye Iran Zameen, volume 3, Ittilaat Nashriyat, Tehran 1997 / Henry George Farmer, A History of Arabian Music to XIIIth Century, Luzac & Co. Publishing, London 1929
(910): Adnan Adıgüzel – Esra Sinjar, Geçmişten Günümüze Musikîşinas Ziryab’ın Endülüs Kültür Hayatına ve Avrupa’ya Etkileri, Yakındoğu Üniversitesi İslam Tetkikleri Merkezi Dergisi, volume 2, issue 1, p. 89, Spring 2016, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/530686
(911): Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(912): İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 44, Fazlı Arslan – Fatih Erkoçoğlu, article “Ziryâb”, p. 464, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Istanbul 2013 / Wikipedia (French), article “Ziriab”, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziriab
(913): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 317, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003
(914): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 130, Cairo 1885 / Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 268, February 2009 / Dwight Fletcher Reynolds, Al-Maqqari’s Ziryab: The Making of A Myth, Middle Eastern Literatures, issue 11, p. 167, August 2008, https://www.religion.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/Ziryab.pdf
(915): Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid, volume 3, p. 122
(916): Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid, volume 2, p. 260 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(917): Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid, volume 2, p. 258
(918): İbrahim Sediyani, Horden aus dem Norden: Die Wikinger, p. 217, Koschi Verlag, Elbingerode 2023
(919): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 2, p. 260, Cairo 1885 / Sigrid Hunke, Allahs Sonne über dem Abendland – Unser Arabisches Erbe, p. 408, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (DVA), Stuttgart 1960, Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2001 / Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, Mahmoud Makki, “The Policital History Of Al-Andalus (711 – 1492)”, p. 26, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994
(920): María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000
(921): Salim T. S. Al-Hassani, 1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization, p. 52, National Geographic, Washington D. C. 2012
(922): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 127, Cairo 1885 / Susanne Utzt – Sahar Eslah – Martin Carazo Mendez – Christian Twente, Große Völker, part 2: “Die Araber”, Terra X, ZDF Documentary, 30 October 2016, https://www.zdf.de/video/dokus/grosse-voelker-106/grosse-voelker-die-araber-100 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(923): Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid / Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, Robert Hillenbrand, “Medieval Córdoba as a Cultural Centre”, p. 117, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994
(924): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 322, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid, volume 3, p. 127 – 128
(925): Ibn Hayyan, ibid
(926): ibid, p. 321
(927): Ibn Dihya al-Kalbi, Al-Motrīb fi Ash’arī Ahl-i Maghrīb, p. 147, Matbaa al-Ameriya, Cairo 1954
(928): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 323, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003
(929): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 128, Cairo 1885 / Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, Robert Hillenbrand, “Medieval Córdoba as a Cultural Centre”, p. 117, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994 / Susanne Utzt – Sahar Eslah – Martin Carazo Mendez – Christian Twente, Große Völker, part 2: “Die Araber”, Terra X, ZDF Documentary, 30 October 2016, https://www.zdf.de/video/dokus/grosse-voelker-106/grosse-voelker-die-araber-100 / Godfrey Goodwin, A Crucible of Cultures in Andalusia, New York Times, 28 May 1989, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/28/travel/a-crucible-of-cultures-in-andalusia.html / Paul Lewis, Charting The Lost Innovations of Islam, The Guardian, 10 March 2006, https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/mar/10/schools.islam / Asrar Chowdhury, Ziryab: The Blackbird of Al Andalus, The Daily Star, 12 May 2013, https://www.thedailystar.net/news/ziryab-the-blackbird-of-al-andalus / Baran Zeydanlıoğlu, Endülüs ve İspanyol Kültürüne Yön Veren Kürt: Ziryab, Bitlisname, 12 June 2017, https://candname.com/tr/?p=14849 / Petek Çırpılı, Doğu Medeniyetini Batıya Taşıyan İnsan: Ziryab (Kara Kuş), Tarih Dergi, November 2020, https://tarihdergi.com/dogu-medeniyetini-batiya-tasiyan-insan-ziryab-kara-kus/ / Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1 / Sayın Baran Zeydanlıoğlu ile Bilge ve Müzısyen Ziryab’ı Tanıyalım, Ethem Değer Kalêsorro, Rodin Media, 3 March 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4l28i-2GWE / Ziryab | Karambolage España, Irgendwas mit ARTE und Kultur, May 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHHJBXX-dNw / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(930): Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 271, February 2009
(931): Clara Crawford Perkins, Builders of Spain, p. 306, Henry Holt & Company Publishing, New York 1911
(932): Virginia Wales Johnson, America’s Godfather: The Florentine Gentleman, p. 132, Estes & Lauriat Publishing, Boston 1894
(933): Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1
(934): Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(935): Wikipedia (Arabic), article “زریاب”, https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B2%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A8
(936): Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 271, February 2009
(937): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 128, Cairo 1885
(938): Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1
(939): Elizabeth Nash, Seville, Córdoba and Granada: A Cultural History, p. 206, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York 2005 / Baran Zeydanlıoğlu, Endülüs ve İspanyol Kültürüne Yön Veren Kürt: Ziryab, Bitlisname, 12 June 2017, https://candname.com/tr/?p=14849 / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(940): Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, Robert Hillenbrand, “Medieval Córdoba as a Cultural Centre”, p. 117, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/ / Ziryab | Karambolage España, Irgendwas mit ARTE und Kultur, May 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHHJBXX-dNw / İbrahim Sediyani, ibid
(941): Michael Gerli, Medieval Iberia: An Encyclopedia, p. 850, Routledge Publishing, London & New York 2003 / Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları: İlim ve Kültür Tarihi, p. 59, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1997 / Harry Brewer, Historical Perspectives on Health Early Arabic Medicine, The Journal of The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, issue 124, p. 184 – 187, July 2004, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15301318/ / İbrahim Sediyani, ibid
(942): Paul H. Freedman, Food: The History of Taste, University of California Press, Berkeley 2007
(943): Muhammad Kamal, Olamā al-Arab, volume 2, “Ziryab”, p. 16, Rabie Publishing, Aleppo undated
(944): ibid / Asrar Chowdhury, Ziryab: The Blackbird of Al Andalus, The Daily Star, 12 May 2013, https://www.thedailystar.net/news/ziryab-the-blackbird-of-al-andalus / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/ / Baran Zeydanlıoğlu, Endülüs ve İspanyol Kültürüne Yön Veren Kürt: Ziryab, Bitlisname, 12 June 2017, https://candname.com/tr/?p=14849 / Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1
(945): Robert W. Lebling Jr., Flight of the Blackbird, Saudi Aramco World, issue 54, p. 32, July – August 2003, https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200304/flight.of.the.blackbird.htm
(946): Godfrey Goodwin, A Crucible of Cultures in Andalusia, New York Times, 28 May 1989, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/28/travel/a-crucible-of-cultures-in-andalusia.html
(947): Asrar Chowdhury, Ziryab: The Blackbird of Al Andalus, The Daily Star, 12 May 2013, https://www.thedailystar.net/news/ziryab-the-blackbird-of-al-andalus
(948): Ziryab Offers Best Tapas and Wine in Barcelona, Global English Middle East and North Africa Financial Network, from Library of Congress İnformation Bulletin, p. 324 – 325, 18 November 2014
(949): Ivan van Sertima, The Golden Age of the Moor, p. 267, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick 1992 / Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, Robert Hillenbrand, “Medieval Córdoba as a Cultural Centre”, p. 117, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994 / André Clot, Harun’ur- Reşîd ve Abbasîler Dönemi, p. 272, Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları, Istanbul 2007 / Godfrey Goodwin, A Crucible of Cultures in Andalusia, New York Times, 28 May 1989, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/28/travel/a-crucible-of-cultures-in-andalusia.html / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Flight of the Blackbird, Saudi Aramco World, issue 54, p. 32, July – August 2003, https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200304/flight.of.the.blackbird.htm / Susanne Utzt – Sahar Eslah – Martin Carazo Mendez – Christian Twente, Große Völker, part 2: “Die Araber”, Terra X, ZDF Documentary, 30 October 2016, https://www.zdf.de/video/dokus/grosse-voelker-106/grosse-voelker-die-araber-100 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/ / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(950): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 320 – 323, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000 / André Clot, ibid / Robert Hillenbrand, ibid
(951): Ibn Hayyan, ibid
(952): ibid, p. 324 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 327, Cairo 1885
(953): Ibn Hayyan, ibid, p. 320
(954): ibid, p. 314
(955): Salim T. S. Al-Hassani, 1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization, p. 18, National Geographic, Washington D. C. 2012
(956): Carl Davila, A Misbegotten Biography: Ziryab In The Mediterranean World, Al Masaq, issue 21, p. 126, August 2009
(957): Salim T. S. Al-Hassani, 1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization, p. 18, National Geographic, Washington D. C. 2012
(958): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 323 – 324, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 128, Cairo 1885 / Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, Robert Hillenbrand, “Medieval Córdoba as a Cultural Centre”, p. 117, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994 / Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, Lucie Bolens, “The Use of Plants for Dyeing and Clothing”, p. 1011, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994 / María Rosa Menocal – Raymond P. Scheindlin – Michael Anthony Sells, The Literature of Al-Andalus, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000
(959): Ibn Hayyan, ibid / Ahmad al-Maqqari, ibid / Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları: İlim ve Kültür Tarihi, p. 49, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1997 / Robert Bertram Serjeant, Michigan Material for a History of Islamic Textiles up to the Mongol Conquest, Ars Islamica, issue 15 – 16, p. 30 – 31, Freer Gallery of Art, The Smithsonian Institution and Department of the History of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 1951 / İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 44, Fazlı Arslan – Fatih Erkoçoğlu, article “Ziryâb”, p. 464, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Istanbul 2013 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/ / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(960): Henri Terrasse, Islam d’Espagne: Une Rencontre de l’Orient et de l’Occident, p. 52 – 53, Librairie Plon, Paris 1958
(961): Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1
(962): Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(963): Ibn Dihya al-Kalbi, Al-Motrīb fi Ash’arī Ahl-i Maghrīb, p. 147, Matbaa al-Ameriya, Cairo 1954
(964): Baran Zeydanlıoğlu, Endülüs ve İspanyol Kültürüne Yön Veren Kürt: Ziryab, Bitlisname, 12 June 2017, https://candname.com/tr/?p=14849
(965): André Clot, Harun’ur- Reşîd ve Abbasîler Dönemi, p. 272, Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları, Istanbul 2007
(966): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 319 – 320, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 128, Cairo 1885 / André Clot, age / Salma Khadra Jayyusi – Manuela Marin, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, Robert Hillenbrand, “Medieval Córdoba as a Cultural Centre”, p. 117, Brill Publishing, Cologne & Leiden & New York 1994 / Mehmet Özdemir, Endülüs Müslümanları: İlim ve Kültür Tarihi, p. 49, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara 1997 / İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 44, Fazlı Arslan – Fatih Erkoçoğlu, article “Ziryâb”, p. 464, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Istanbul 2013 / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(967): Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 271, February 2009 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Flight of the Blackbird, Saudi Aramco World, issue 54, p. 32, July – August 2003, https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200304/flight.of.the.blackbird.htm / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(968): Khani Abu’r-Rāb, ibid
(969): Robert W. Lebling Jr., Flight of the Blackbird, Saudi Aramco World, issue 54, p. 25 – 32, July – August 2003, https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200304/flight.of.the.blackbird.htm / Asrar Chowdhury, Ziryab: The Blackbird of Al Andalus, The Daily Star, 12 May 2013, https://www.thedailystar.net/news/ziryab-the-blackbird-of-al-andalus
(970): Salim T. S. Al-Hassani, 1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization, p. 18, National Geographic, Washington D. C. 2012
(971): André Clot, Harun’ur- Reşîd ve Abbasîler Dönemi, p. 272, Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları, Istanbul 2007 / İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 44, Fazlı Arslan – Fatih Erkoçoğlu, article “Ziryâb”, p. 464, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Istanbul 2013
(972): Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 271, February 2009 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Flight of the Blackbird, Saudi Aramco World, issue 54, p. 24 – 33, July – August 2003, https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200304/flight.of.the.blackbird.htm / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/ / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(973): Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1 / Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(974): Barış Karaelma, Endülüs’te Müzik Hayatı Üzerine Bir İnceleme, İstem, issue 15, p. 36, 2010, https://www.academia.edu/33171127/%C4%B0STEM_15_2010_END%C3%9CL%C3%9CS_TE_M%C3%9CZ%C4%B0K_HAYATI_%C3%9CZER%C4%B0NE_B%C4%B0R_%C4%B0NCELEME_A_Research_on_Musical_Life_in_Andalusia_Yrd_Do%C3%A7_Dr_Bar%C4%B1%C5%9F_KARAELMA_S_29_42_
(975): Wikipedia (Arabic), article “زریاب”, https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B2%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A8
(976): Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1 / Şakir Diclehan, Endülüs Kültürüne Yön Veren Efsane Bir Kürt: Ziryab – 2, Haber Duruş, 23 November 2021, https://www.haberdurus.com/haber/endulus_kulturune_yon_veren_efsane_bir_kurt_ziryab_-2–61022.html / İbrahim Sediyani, Endülüs İslam Medeniyeti’nin En Büyük Sanatçısı: Kürt Müzisyen Ziryab (Zêrav), Sediyani Haber, 23 February 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOmeMSlUSk&t=24s
(977): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Mahdi Shetayeshgar, Namname-ye Musiqi-ye Iran Zameen, volume 3, p. 260 – 262, Ittilaat Nashriyat, Tehran 1997
(978): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, p. 127, Cairo 1885
(979): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003
(980): Faik Bulut, Endülüs Toplumuna “Lale Devri”ni Yaşatan Kürt Müzik ve Sanat Adamı: Ziryab, Independent Türkçe, 15 November 2020, https://www.indyturk.com/node/272196/t%C3%BCrki%CC%87yeden-sesler/end%C3%BCl%C3%BCs-toplumuna-lale-devrini-ya%C5%9Fatan-k%C3%BCrt-m%C3%BCzik-ve-sanat-adam%C4%B1
(981): Ozan Dilek, Endülüs’te Avrupa’nın İlk Konservatuarını Kuran Kürt: Ziryab, Genç Öncüler Dergisi, January 2018, https://www.ilimvemedeniyet.com/enduluste-avrupanin-ilk-konservatuarini-kuran-kurt-ziryab / Petek Çırpılı, Doğu Medeniyetini Batıya Taşıyan İnsan: Ziryab (Kara Kuş), Tarih Dergi, November 2020, https://tarihdergi.com/dogu-medeniyetini-batiya-tasiyan-insan-ziryab-kara-kus/
(982): Wikipedia (French), article “Ziriab”, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziriab
(983): Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(984): “Abdurrahman II” and “Muhammad I” in all sources
(985): Ibn Hayyan, As-Sifr-ū Sanī min Kitab’il-Muqtabas, p. 332, Markaz’al-Malek Faysal li’l-Bouhous wa’d-Dirāsāti’l-Islamiyya, Riyadh 2003 / Ibn Dihya al-Kalbi, Al-Motrīb fi Ash’arī Ahl-i Maghrīb, p. 147, Matbaa al-Ameriya, Cairo 1954 / Lexikon des Mittelalters, volume 9, Hans-Rudolf Singer, article “Ziryab”, p. 628 et seq., Coron Verlag, Lachen am See 2002 / John Gill, Andalucia: A Cultural History, p. 81, Oxford University Press, Oxford & Madrid & Ciudad de México & New York & Toronto & Nairobi & Dar es Salaam & Cape Town & New Delhi & Karachi & Hong Kong & Shanghai & Taipei & Kuala Lumpur & Melbourne & Auckland 2008 / Khani Abu’r-Rāb, Ziryab wa Asarahu fi’l-Hayati’l-Idjtimaiya wa’l- Fanniya fi’l-Andalus, Madjallat-ū Djamiā’til-Qods’al-Maftuhā li’l-Abkhas wa’l-Fūnun, issue 15, p. 278, February 2009
(986): Ibn Hayyan, ibid
(987): Ibn Hayyan, ibid, p. 316
(988): Ibn Khaldun, Mukaddime, volume 2, p. 436 – 437, Wafī Nashriyat, Cairo 1401
(989): Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalus’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Waziriha Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khatib, volume 3, Cairo 1885
(990): Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, A Literary History of the Arabs, p. 418 – 419, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1985
(991): Robert W. Lebling Jr., Ziryab – Poet of Cordoba, Cities of Light, Islamic Spain, https://www.islamicspain.tv/arts-and-literature/ziryab-poet-of-cordoba/
(992): Ali-Ibn Nafi Ziryab: Creador de Tendencias en Al Ándalus, Hammam Al Ándalus, 17 September 2018, https://hammamalandalus.com/blog/ali-ibn-nafi-ziryab-gastronomo/
(993): Ziryab, El Iraquí del Siglo VIII al que Admiraba Paco de Lucía, ABC Música, 24 February 2019, https://www.abc.es/cultura/musica/abci-ziryab-iraqui-siglo-viii-admiraba-paco-lucia-201902240126_noticia.html
SEDİYANİ HABER
3 APRIL 2025
