The Warrior Women of Islam: Forgotten Heroines of the Great Arabian Tales: Female Empowerment in Arabic Popular Literature

Colloquial Arabic storytelling is most commonly associated with the Arabian Nights. But few people are aware of a much larger corpus of narrative texts known as popular epic. These heroic romantic tales, originating in the Middle Ages, form vast cycles of adventure stories whose most remarkable feature is their portrayal of powerful and memorable women. Wildly appreciated by medieval audiences, and spread by professional storytellers throughout the cities of the Muslim world, this material was printed and reprinted over the centuries and remains a vital part of Arab culture. Yet virtually none is available in translation, and so remains almost unknown to a non-Arab public. Remke Kruk at last makes these neglected romances available to a Western audience. She recounts the story of Princess Dhat al-Himma, brave and undefeated leader of the Muslim army in its wars against the Byzantines; of Ghamra, brought up as a boy to become a fearless leader of men; and of Qannasa, an infidel, raiding from her mountain fortress to capture and seduce her enemies before putting them pitilessly to the sword. The Warrior Women of Islam puts a bold new complexion on gender roles and the wider perception of women in the Middle East. "Colloquial Arabic storytelling is most commonly associated with The Thousand and One Nights. But few people are aware of a much larger corpus of narrative texts known as popular epic. These heroic romantic tales, originating in the Middle Ages, form vast cycles of adventure stories whose most remarkable feature is their portrayal of powerful and memorable women. Wildly appreciated by medieval audiences, and spread by professional storytellers throughout the cities of the Muslim world, these fictions were printed and reprinted over the centuries and comprise a vital part of Arab culture. Yet virtually none are available in translation, and so remain almost unknown to a non-Arab public. Remke Kruk at last makes these neglected romances available to a Western audience. She recounts the story of Princess Dhat al-Himma, brave and undefeated leader of the Muslim army in its wars against the Byzantines; of Ghamra, brought up as a boy to become a fearless leader of men; and of cool-headed Qannasa, raiding from her mountain fortress to capture and seduce her enemies before putting them pitilessly to the sword.The Warrior Women of Islam puts a bold new complexion on gender roles and the wider perception of women in the Middle East."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Colloquial Arabic storytelling is most commonly associated with The Thousandvand One Nights. But few people are aware of a much larger corpus of narrative texts known as popular epic. These heroic romantic tales, originating in the Middle Ages, form vast cycles of adventure stories whose most remarkable feature is their portrayal of powerful and memorable women. Wildly appreciated by medieval audiences, and spread by professional storytellers throughout the cities of the Muslim world, these fictions were printed and reprinted over the centuries and comprise a vital part of Arab culture. Yet virtually none are available in translation, and so remain almost unknown to a non-Arab public. Remke Kruk at last makes these neglected romances available to a Western audience. She recounts the story of Princess Dhat al-Himma, brave and undefeated leader of the Muslim army in its wars against the Byzantines; of Ghamra, brought up as a boy to become a fearless leader of men; and of cool-headed Qannasa, raiding from her mountain fortress to capture and seduce her enemies before putting them pitilessly to the sword.The Warrior Women of Islam puts a bold new complexion on gender roles and the wider perception of women in the Middle East. Cover Page 1 Author Bio 2 Endorsements 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 Preface 10 A Note on Transliteration 14 Abbreviations 16 A Note on the Illustrations 18 List of Illustrations 22 Acknowledgements 26 Chapter 1: Arabic Popular Epic: An Introductory Note 28 Chapter 2: Warrior Women in the Arabic Tradition 42 Chapter 3: Sīrat Dhāt al-Himma 1: Princess Dhāt al-Himma and Her Many Battles 64 Chapter 4: Sīrat Dhāt al-Himma 2: Prince ʿAbd al-Wahhāb and His Warrior Wives 90 Chapter 5: Sīrat Dhāt al-Himma 3: The History of Ghamra the Daughter of ʿUtārid 120 Chapter 6: Warrior Women in Sīrat ʿAntara 1: Ghamra the Daughter of Fāʾiz 138 Chapter 7: Warrior Women in Sīrat ʿAntara 2: Hayfāʾ, Zarqāʾ and ʿUnaytira 158 Chapter 8: Prince Hamza al-Bahlawān: In Praise of Traditional Womanhood 174 Chapter 9: Sīrat Baybars 1: Lionesses 190 Chapter 10: Sīrat Baybars 2: Warrior Queens 202 Chapter 11: King Sayf ibn Dhī Yazan, the Soft-Hearted 1: Qamarīya 214 Chapter 12: King Sayf ibn Dhī Yazan 2: Tāma 228 Chapter 13: King Sayf ibn Dhī Yazan 3: Munyat al-Nufūs 240 Chapter 14: Final Observations 250 Notes 254 Bibliography 280 Index 292 * Big, bold, revisionist book which plausibly challenges gender stereotypes about women and Islam * Makes sparkling tales and stories accessible for the first time to an English-speaking readership * Wide appeal to a variety of readers, in Middle East studies, comparative literature & medieval history