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

Almanzor Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-Maʿafiri ( ar, أبو عامر محمد بن عبد الله بن أبي عامر المعافري), nicknamed al-Manṣūr ( ar, المنصور, "the Victorious"), which is often Latiniz ...

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), which was established in 1018 as one of the taifa kingdoms, with its capital in Saraqusta (Zaragoza) city. Zaragoza's taifa emerged in ...

. He is mentioned by the Muslim philosopher

Al-Tha'alibi Al-Tha'alibi (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 work of others is sometimes lacking, as was the practice of write ...

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 ( ar, أبو الطيب أحمد بن الحسين المتنبّي الكندي; – 23 September 965 AD) from Kufa, Abbasid Caliphate, was a famous Abbasid-era Arab poet at th ...

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 ( ber, Aẓnag, pl. Iẓnagen, and also Aẓnaj, pl. Iẓnajen; ar, صنهاجة, ''Ṣanhaja'' or زناگة ''Znaga'') were once one of the largest Berber tribal confederations, along with the Zanata and Masmuda confederations. Ma ...

Berber 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 ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد الإدريسي القرطبي الحسني السبتي; la, Dreses; 1100 – 1165), was a Muslim geographer, cartograp ...

places Kastalla on the coast, fourteen miles east of

Tavira 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 river Guadiana into Spain. The Gilã ...

. The Spanish historian

José Antonio Conde José Antonio Conde y García (1766–1820) 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 of Greek classics. Thes ...

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 The Hammudid dynasty () was a Berberized Arab Muslim family that briefly ruled the Caliphate of CórdobaLane-Poole (1894), p.21 and the taifas of Málaga and Algeciras and nominal control in Ceuta. The dynasty The dynasty is named after their ...

, 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 ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

and then to

Dénia Dénia ( es, Denia) is a historical coastal city in the province of Alicante, Spain, on the Costa Blanca halfway between Alicante and Valencia, and the capital and judicial seat of the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta. Denia's historical heritage ...

in 1028, where he died in 1030.

References

958 births 1030 deaths 11th-century Berber people 11th-century Spanish poets Poets of Al-Andalus {{Authority control Berber poets Sanhaja 11th-century Arabic poets