Abu Umar Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Asi ibn Ahmad ibn Sulayman ibn Isa ibn Darraj al-Qastalli (, 958–1030) was an Andalusi poet of

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

origin. He was an author of courtly poetry for the Córdoban military leader

Almanzor Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-Maʿafiri (), nicknamed al-Manṣūr (, "the Victorious"), which is often Latinized as Almanzor in Spanish, Almansor in Catalan language, Catalan and Almançor in Portuguese ( 938 – 8 A ...

and after 1018, for the rulers of the

Taifa of Zaragoza The taifa of Zaragoza () was an independent Arab Muslim state in the east of Al-Andalus (present-day Spain) with its capital in Saraqusta (Zaragoza) city. It was established in the early 11th century as one of the many Taifa kingdoms that foll ...

. He is mentioned by the Muslim philosopher

Al-Tha'alibi Abū Manṣūr ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Thaʿālibī () (961–1038), was a writer famous for his anthologies and collections of epigrams. As a writer of prose and verse in his own right, distinction between his and the w ...

in his work '' Kitāb Yatīmat'' saying "He was for the country Andalus that which

al-Mutanabbi Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Mutanabbī al-Kindī ( – 965 AD), commonly known as Al-Mutanabbi (), was an Abbasid-era Arab poet at the court of the Hamdanid emir Sayf al-Dawla in Aleppo, and for whom he composed 300 folios of ...

was for Syria, a poet of the highest order, and equally elegant in what he said and wrote." Ibn Darraj was born in March 958 into a noble family of

Sanhaja The Sanhaja (, or زناگة ''Znāga''; , pl. Iẓnagen, and also Aẓnaj, pl. Iẓnajen) were once one of the largest Berbers, Berber tribal confederations, along with the Zenata, Zanata and Masmuda confederations. Many tribes in Algeria, Libya ...

origin. There is some confusion with respect to his place of birth. Al-Qasṭallī means native of Qasṭallī, a city in Spain at the time. The medieval cartographer

Muhammad al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi (; ; 1100–1165), was an Arab Muslim geographer and cartographer who served in the court of King Roger II at Palermo, Sicily. Muhammad al-Idrisi was born in C ...

places Kastalla on the coast, fourteen miles east of

Tavira Tavira (), officially the City of Tavira (), is a Portuguese town and municipality, capital of the ''Costa do Acantilado'', situated in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is east of Faro and west of Huelva across the riv ...

. The Spanish historian

José Antonio Conde José Antonio Conde y García (28 October 1766–12 June 1820) was a Spanish Orientalist and historian of Al-Andalus period. His ''Anacreon'' (1791) obtained him a post in the royal library in 1795. He also published several paraphrases o ...

thought that the city was now called Castellar in the Spanish province of Jaen. He became court poet of

in 992, where his was admitted due to his improvisational abilities. His poetry was dedicated to extol the military campaigns of Almanzor against the Christian Kingdoms. Apart from its literary value, his poetry also appears to match the historical record and provides insight into the exploits of Almanzor. After the death of Almanzor, he continued in the service of Almanzor's son Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar, who he accompanied in his campaign against Leon and Catalonia. However, in 1008, a civil war broke out and he was forced to emigrate, first to Cueta in 1008 with the Hammudids, then to the

, where he started work as vizier-secretary and court poet for Al-Mundir I in 1018. Again as court poet, he extolled the military exploits of Mundir I. He also sang at the wedding organized by Mundir in 1021 between Count Berenguer Ramon I of Barcelona and Sancha Sánchez, daughter of Sancho Garcia of Castile. After Mundir I was succeeded by his son Yahya ibn al-Mundhir in 1022, Ibn Darraj continued his service as a poet in the court until his departure to

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and then to

Dénia Dénia (; ) is a historical coastal city in the province of Alicante, Spain, on the Costa Blanca halfway between Alicante and Valencia (city in Spain), Valencia, and the capital and judicial seat of the Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''c ...

in 1028, where he died in 1030.

References

958 births 1030 deaths 11th-century Berber people 11th-century Spanish poets Poets from al-Andalus {{Authority control Berber poets Sanhaja 11th-century Arabic-language poets