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Article: PARADISE LOST: IBN DANIYAL'S RESPONSE TO BAYBARS' CAMPAIGN AGAINST VICE IN CAIRO.
- Article from:
- The Journal of the American Oriental Society
- Article date:
- April 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 American Oriental Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Mamluk Sultan al-Zahir Baybars' (r. 1260-77) campaign against vice in Cairo is perhaps one of the most publicized and colorful episodes of the sultan's legacy. But little is known about its details, much less its impact on and depictions in contemporary popular literature. This paper offers a new reading, and the first full translation, of a famous poem by Ibn Daniyal (d. 1311) in response to the sultan's prohibition. Based on discussions pertaining to the poem's historical and literary contexts, it is argued that the poem should be read not only as a social satire, but also as a psychological drama and word play whose main purpose is to celebrate the poet's memories of ...