Recommended listening: Iraq Instrumental Music
Story
The largest city in the world a thousand years ago was Baghdad. Over a million people called the city home. Not only was it a centre of trade, but a centre of intellectual life as the driving force behind the Islamic Golden Age. Everything from mathematics to theology underwent vital developments which would shape the world for centuries to come. One of the specialities of these great Islamicate scholars was medicine. The abundance of medical texts surviving from this period give us an unusually detailed look at an aspect of history so often erased from the record - the lives of queer women.
Unlike medieval European languages, which had no words to describe female homosexual desire, Arabic had the word sahiqat which comes ultimately from the verb "to rub". This was one of only several words used for women who slept with other women; in the thirteenth century, lesbian sex was actually described as "the saffron massage" because of the similarities to how saffron is grinded for dye! Islamicate scholars believed that Galen, the great paragon of classical medicine, had a lesbian daughter and had made certain observations about her condition. The great ninth-century philosopher al-Kindi wrote that lesbianism was an "itch" in the labia which arose out of a different balance between heat and cold in queer women's bodies than in those of straight women. Reasons proposed as to why this might happen varied - the physician Yuhanna ibn Masawayh believed that if a nursing mother ate too much celery, rocket, or orange flowers, it could cause her daughter to develop the "itch"! Either way, lesbianism was viewed as a lifelong, innate medical condition which could only be treated, not cured - and the treatment prescribed was sex with other lesbians, which was thought to be the only thing that could temporarily neutralize the heat imbalance.
It is not only in medical texts that we find references to same-sex love between two women. Lesbians in literature were sometimes held up as ideal models of romantic devotion. As Sahar Amer writes in her article about queer Islamic women, "the origin of lesbianism, according to popular anecdotes in the Arabic literary tradition, is regularly traced back forty years before the emergence of male homosexuality to an intercultural, interfaith love affair between an Arab woman and a Christian woman in pre-Islamic Iraq". Their story was written about in the late 10th century, just before this illustration is set. This period saw a proliferation of literature about women-loving-women, though sadly little of it survives beyond an index of lost works. In these pieces of literature, romantic devotion between women was often held up as superior to the loyalty of heterosexual men to their female partners. Although lesbianism was sometimes described as a sin, it was considered much less offensive than male homosexuality and, above all, heterosexual adultery.
Although we no longer know the names of any individual sahiqat, this illustration represents one such couple as they may have lived in Baghdad. Their household is a wealthy one, decorated with stucco in the Samarra style. Lush imported goods surround them, such as an Armenian carpet and Persian pillows featuring elephants, horses and birds. The woman on the left is of a higher social class, perhaps the daughter of an aristocrat - still wrapped in her mantle, she has just come from somewhere public such as the mosque. Her companion is a dancer, likely one of the household's many slaves (though slavery in Baghdad in this period was closer to indentured servitude than to later developments of the system). Above them hangs a khaysh, a piece of thick linen which was kept always damp with rose water so that whenever the room's occupants needed to cool down, they could simply tug the rope and fragrant droplets would shower down on them. There is much we do not know about the lives of queer women, but one can easily imagine a couple such as this one coming inside from the heat to relax together on a hot summer's day.
Unlike medieval European languages, which had no words to describe female homosexual desire, Arabic had the word sahiqat which comes ultimately from the verb "to rub". This was one of only several words used for women who slept with other women; in the thirteenth century, lesbian sex was actually described as "the saffron massage" because of the similarities to how saffron is grinded for dye! Islamicate scholars believed that Galen, the great paragon of classical medicine, had a lesbian daughter and had made certain observations about her condition. The great ninth-century philosopher al-Kindi wrote that lesbianism was an "itch" in the labia which arose out of a different balance between heat and cold in queer women's bodies than in those of straight women. Reasons proposed as to why this might happen varied - the physician Yuhanna ibn Masawayh believed that if a nursing mother ate too much celery, rocket, or orange flowers, it could cause her daughter to develop the "itch"! Either way, lesbianism was viewed as a lifelong, innate medical condition which could only be treated, not cured - and the treatment prescribed was sex with other lesbians, which was thought to be the only thing that could temporarily neutralize the heat imbalance.
It is not only in medical texts that we find references to same-sex love between two women. Lesbians in literature were sometimes held up as ideal models of romantic devotion. As Sahar Amer writes in her article about queer Islamic women, "the origin of lesbianism, according to popular anecdotes in the Arabic literary tradition, is regularly traced back forty years before the emergence of male homosexuality to an intercultural, interfaith love affair between an Arab woman and a Christian woman in pre-Islamic Iraq". Their story was written about in the late 10th century, just before this illustration is set. This period saw a proliferation of literature about women-loving-women, though sadly little of it survives beyond an index of lost works. In these pieces of literature, romantic devotion between women was often held up as superior to the loyalty of heterosexual men to their female partners. Although lesbianism was sometimes described as a sin, it was considered much less offensive than male homosexuality and, above all, heterosexual adultery.
Although we no longer know the names of any individual sahiqat, this illustration represents one such couple as they may have lived in Baghdad. Their household is a wealthy one, decorated with stucco in the Samarra style. Lush imported goods surround them, such as an Armenian carpet and Persian pillows featuring elephants, horses and birds. The woman on the left is of a higher social class, perhaps the daughter of an aristocrat - still wrapped in her mantle, she has just come from somewhere public such as the mosque. Her companion is a dancer, likely one of the household's many slaves (though slavery in Baghdad in this period was closer to indentured servitude than to later developments of the system). Above them hangs a khaysh, a piece of thick linen which was kept always damp with rose water so that whenever the room's occupants needed to cool down, they could simply tug the rope and fragrant droplets would shower down on them. There is much we do not know about the lives of queer women, but one can easily imagine a couple such as this one coming inside from the heat to relax together on a hot summer's day.
Artist's Comments
Happy Pride Month! I've had a thumbnail for this illustration since September of last year, so I am so excited to finally share it with you! Learning about medieval Arab lesbians blew my mind, and I hope you've enjoyed learning about them too. Drawing this illustration took a lot of time and research, but I am glad to finally have attempted to show off some of the amazing interior design of the Islamic world. When you are used to researching medieval Scotland, let me tell you, it is a shock to the system to see just how well-documented medieval Islam is! As always, researching for this project is a humbling and fascinating experience.
Although the illustration is set in Baghdad, the main place I used for references is Samarra, an earlier Abbasid city which was abandoned in the 9th century. This means it is much better preserved than Baghdad when it comes to the architecture of this period. (Check out their amazing spiral mosque!) The dancer's outfit and all the wall decorations all come from archaeological excavations in Samarra. The woman in the mantle's outfit comes from manuscript illustrations of women at the mosque. The Armenian carpet is based on the 11th century Gospel of Mughni's depiction of the Last Supper. The pillows' designs come from various fragments of textiles from the Abbasid period.
Thanks to everyone who helped me and encouraged me during the long process of drawing this illustration! The university scanner overexposed the scan so I will probably rescan it next time I am home, but for now, I hope you enjoyed learning about these women. Happy Pride! ~ June 28, 2019
Although the illustration is set in Baghdad, the main place I used for references is Samarra, an earlier Abbasid city which was abandoned in the 9th century. This means it is much better preserved than Baghdad when it comes to the architecture of this period. (Check out their amazing spiral mosque!) The dancer's outfit and all the wall decorations all come from archaeological excavations in Samarra. The woman in the mantle's outfit comes from manuscript illustrations of women at the mosque. The Armenian carpet is based on the 11th century Gospel of Mughni's depiction of the Last Supper. The pillows' designs come from various fragments of textiles from the Abbasid period.
Thanks to everyone who helped me and encouraged me during the long process of drawing this illustration! The university scanner overexposed the scan so I will probably rescan it next time I am home, but for now, I hope you enjoyed learning about these women. Happy Pride! ~ June 28, 2019
Resources
Want to learn more about the women of medieval Iraq? Here are some recommended resources.
"Medieval Arab Lesbians and Lesbian-Like Women" by Sahar Amer
This is the article that blew my mind open about the whole concept of queer women in medieval Islam! Amer's work uncovering the attitudes towards queer women in medical texts and literature challenges so many preconceptions about queer history, women's history, and Islam. Almost everything I say about queer Islamic women in the description of this picture comes from this article.
"Social Life Under the Abbasids" by Muhammad Manazir Ahsan
This amazingly detailed PhD provided me with everything I needed to know to draw the furnishings of the room here. There were so many cool details I couldn't include, like blocks of ice being dropped in the middle of rooms and fanned by servants to keep cool air flowing in the house; women-only bathhouses; wealthy people sleeping on the rooftops in Baghdad during the hot summer nights; and even details about the various styles of shoes popular with the city's women! If you're at all interested in food, clothing, architecture, or daily life, definitely give this a read.
"Abbasid Clothing and Fashion" from The School of Abbasid Studies
A nice introduction to the role of fashion among the Abbasids, particularly the elites. See if you can spot one of my pillow designs! You'll find a more general overview of the history of Islamic dress here. Other textiles in Baghdad came from further afield - read here and here about Armenian carpets, a coveted import.
"Islamic Architecture - Abbasid Period" by Sheila Blair
Great dive into the role of architecture in the Abbasid period. For a closer look at Samarra, the site I used as my main reference point, you can check out the UNESCO site's excavation photographs here. The header image on this webpage is a Wikimedia Commons image of two fragments held in the British Museum which show women's faces (probably dancers) from the walls of a harem in Samarra.
"The Mediaeval Middle East: Every Year" by Ollie Bye
If you need help visualizing what part of the world is being discussed here, check out this video, where Baghdad appears as part of the Buyid dynasty who had recently overtaken and fractured the Abbasid Caliphate. On YouTube you can also find videos about the history of Islamic medicine and the Islamic Golden Age in general.
"Thigh Fencing and the Saffron Massage" by History is Gay
I listened to this podcast episode quite some time after doing this illustration. The hosts do a wonderful job of conveying the work of Sahar Amer and other scholars for a general audience. I particularly enjoyed some of the anecdotes they share from medieval Arabic literature. If you would like to learn more about this topic in podcast form, this is definitely a great episode to listen to!
"Medieval Arab Lesbians and Lesbian-Like Women" by Sahar Amer
This is the article that blew my mind open about the whole concept of queer women in medieval Islam! Amer's work uncovering the attitudes towards queer women in medical texts and literature challenges so many preconceptions about queer history, women's history, and Islam. Almost everything I say about queer Islamic women in the description of this picture comes from this article.
"Social Life Under the Abbasids" by Muhammad Manazir Ahsan
This amazingly detailed PhD provided me with everything I needed to know to draw the furnishings of the room here. There were so many cool details I couldn't include, like blocks of ice being dropped in the middle of rooms and fanned by servants to keep cool air flowing in the house; women-only bathhouses; wealthy people sleeping on the rooftops in Baghdad during the hot summer nights; and even details about the various styles of shoes popular with the city's women! If you're at all interested in food, clothing, architecture, or daily life, definitely give this a read.
"Abbasid Clothing and Fashion" from The School of Abbasid Studies
A nice introduction to the role of fashion among the Abbasids, particularly the elites. See if you can spot one of my pillow designs! You'll find a more general overview of the history of Islamic dress here. Other textiles in Baghdad came from further afield - read here and here about Armenian carpets, a coveted import.
"Islamic Architecture - Abbasid Period" by Sheila Blair
Great dive into the role of architecture in the Abbasid period. For a closer look at Samarra, the site I used as my main reference point, you can check out the UNESCO site's excavation photographs here. The header image on this webpage is a Wikimedia Commons image of two fragments held in the British Museum which show women's faces (probably dancers) from the walls of a harem in Samarra.
"The Mediaeval Middle East: Every Year" by Ollie Bye
If you need help visualizing what part of the world is being discussed here, check out this video, where Baghdad appears as part of the Buyid dynasty who had recently overtaken and fractured the Abbasid Caliphate. On YouTube you can also find videos about the history of Islamic medicine and the Islamic Golden Age in general.
"Thigh Fencing and the Saffron Massage" by History is Gay
I listened to this podcast episode quite some time after doing this illustration. The hosts do a wonderful job of conveying the work of Sahar Amer and other scholars for a general audience. I particularly enjoyed some of the anecdotes they share from medieval Arabic literature. If you would like to learn more about this topic in podcast form, this is definitely a great episode to listen to!