Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Absi (; 525–608 AD), also known as ʿAntar (), was a
pre-Islamic Arabian poet and knight, famous for both his poetry and his adventurous life. His chief poem forms part of the ''
Mu'allaqāt'', the collection of seven "hanging odes" legendarily said to have been suspended in the
Kaaba
The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...
at Mecca. The account of his life forms the basis of a long and extravagant romance.
Life
ʿAntarah was born in
Najd
Najd is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in Al-Jawf Province, al-Jawf to the north, ...
in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
. His father was Arab, Shaddād al-ʿAbsī, a respected warrior of the
Banu Abs
The Banu Abs (, "sons of ") are an ancient Bedouin tribe that originated in central Arabia. They form a branch of the powerful and numerous Ghatafan tribes. They still inhabit the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa but have spread to man ...
under their chief Zuhayr. His mother was an
Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
woman named Zabībah. Described as one of three "Arab crows" (''Aghribah al-'Arab'') - famous Arab with a black complexion, ʿAntarah grew up a slave as well. He fell in love with his cousin ʿAblah, but could not hope to marry her owing to his position. He also gained the enmity of his father's wife Sumayya.
He gained attention and respect for himself by his personal qualities and courage in battle, excelling as an accomplished poet and a mighty warrior. He earned his freedom after another tribe invaded the lands of the Banu ʿAbs. When his father said to him, "ʿAntarah, fight with the warriors", he replied that "the slave doesn't know how to invade or how to defend, but is only good for milking goats and serving his masters". His father answered him: "Defend your tribe, O ʿAntar, and you are free". After defeating the invaders, he sought to gain permission to
marry his cousin. To secure allowance to marry, Antarah had to face challenges including getting a special kind of camel from the Northern Arab
Lakhmid Kingdom
The Lakhmid kingdom ( ), also referred to as al-Manādhirah () or as Banū Lakhm (), was an Arab kingdom that was founded and ruled by the Lakhmid dynasty from to 602. Spanning Eastern Arabia and Southern Mesopotamia, it existed as a depende ...
, then under
al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir
Al-Nuʿmān III ibn al-Mundhir (), also transcribed Naʿaman, Nuʿaman and Noman and often known by the patronymic Abu Qabus (), was the last Lakhmid king of al-Hirah (582 – ) and a Nestorian Christian Arab. He is considered one of the mos ...
. ʿAntarah took part in the great war between the related tribes of ʿAbs and Dhubyān, which began over a contest of horses, and was named after them the
war of Dāhis and Ghabrā.
The time and manner of his death are a matter of dispute.
Ibn Duraid has him slain by Wasr ibn Jabir or in battle against the
Tayy, while according to Abu Obeida he died a natural death in old age.
ʿAntarah's poetry is well preserved and often talks of
chivalrous values, courage, and heroism in battle as well as his love for ʿAbla. It was immortalized when one of his poems was included in the ''
Mu'allaqat
The Muʻallaqāt (, ) is a compilation of seven long pre-Islamic Arabic poems. The name means The Suspended Odes or The Hanging Poems, they were named so because these poems were hung in the Kaaba in Mecca. Some scholars have also suggested th ...
'', the collection of poems legendarily said to have been suspended in the
Kaaba
The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...
. His poetry's historical and cultural importance stems from its detailed descriptions of battles, armour, weapons, horses, desert, and other themes from his time.
Legacy

The story of ʿAntar and ʿAbla was embroidered into a poetic saga traditionally credited to
al-Asmaʿi, a poet in the court of
Hārūn al-Rashīd. It is still recited by traditional story-tellers in Arab coffee houses. Its importance has been compared with
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
's
Arthurian romance
The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century writer Geoffr ...
s. His house and his stable were particularly legendary. One of the seven clans of
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
is called the ''Anatreh'', named after ʿAntarah. It formerly acted as the guardians of the
Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity, is a basilica located in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine. The grotto holds a prominent religious significance to Christianity, Christians of various denominations as the Nativity of Jesus, ...
.
The Russian composer
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...
wrote his
Symphony No. 2 based on the legend of ʿAntar. In 1898 the French painter
Étienne Dinet published
[Pouillon, Francois (1997), ''Les deux vies d'Étienne Dinet, peintre en Islam: L'Algerie et l'heritage colonial'', Paris: Editions Balland.] his translation of a 13th-century epic Arab poem ''Antar'', which brought Antar bin Shaddad to European notice.
It has been followed by a number of
derivative work
In copyright law, a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major copyrightable elements of a first, previously created original work (the underlying work). The derivative work becomes a second, separate work independent from ...
s such as Diana Richmond's ''Antar and Abla'' which furthered
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
exposure to the Antar bin Shaddad legends. "Antar" is the title of the first Palestinian opera, composed by the Palestinian musician Mustapha al-Kurd in 1988.
The Lebanese painter
Rafic Charaf developed from the 1960s a series of paintings depicting the epics of Antar and Abla. These works that show his interest in the popular folklore of the region are considered a cornerstone in the artist's work.
In the late 1940s the British Lorry Manufacturer
Thornycroft
Thornycroft was an English vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.
History
In 1896, naval engineer John Isaac Thornycroft formed the Thornycroft Steam Carriage and Van Company which built its f ...
began the design of an oilfield tractor to carry pipes for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company which later became the
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC; ) was a British company founded in 1909 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Persia (Iran). The British government purchased 51% of the company in 1914, gaining a controlling numbe ...
. The chosen name for the new Thornycroft tractor, which at the time was one of the largest tractors in the world, was the Thornycroft Mighty Antar. The Antar moniker was chosen with reference to the mighty Warrior Antar.
Works
Antara's poems are published in
Wilhelm Ahlwardt
Wilhelm Ahlwardt (4 July 1828, Greifswald – 2 November 1909, Greifswald) was a German orientalist who specialized in research of Arabic literature. He was the son of philologist Christian Wilhelm Ahlwardt (1760–1830).
Biography
He ...
's
The Divans of the six ancient Arabic poets' (London, 1870); they have also been published separately at Beirût (1888). As regards their genuineness, cf. W. Ahlwardt's
Bemerkungen über die Aechtheit der alten arabischen Gedichte' (Greifswald, 1872), pp. 50ff. ''The Romance of 'Antar'' (Sīrat 'Antar ibn Shaddād) is a work which was long handed down by oral tradition only; it has grown to immense proportions and has been published in 32 vols. at Cairo (1889), and in 10 vols. at Beirût, 1871. It was partly translated by
Terrick Hamilton under the title ''
Antar, a Bedoueen Romance' (4 vols, London, 1820). In addition, Sīrat 'Antar was translated into Turkish by the order of
Fatih Sultan Mehmed in 1477 AD.
The translator of the Turkish translation in three volumes is unknown. The manuscript copies of the Turkish translation known as
Qıssa-i 'Antar are available in the Topkapı Palace Museum Library.
See also
*
Arabic literature
Arabic literature ( / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is ''Adab (Islam), Adab'', which comes from a meaning of etiquett ...
&
romance literature
*
Banu Abs
The Banu Abs (, "sons of ") are an ancient Bedouin tribe that originated in central Arabia. They form a branch of the powerful and numerous Ghatafan tribes. They still inhabit the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa but have spread to man ...
*
Thornycroft Antar - British pipeline tractor named after his strength and endurance
Notes
References
*
*
Attribution
*
External links
English translation of Antara's Hanged PoemThe Hanged Poem of Antara "another version" (Arabic)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antarah, Ibn Shaddad
6th-century Arabic-language poets
7th-century Arabic-language poets
Medieval Arabic literature
525 births
608 deaths
Ghatafan