8vo. [9, contents & biography], 351 pp., Arabic text within borders, explanation of Maqamat printed on margins, modern hard back binding, few worm holes on margins of first & last four leaves, not affecting text, occasional spotting, otherwise copy in good condition, Al-Matba’a al-Kastiliyya, Cairo, 1279 A. H./ 1862.

Synopsis

Al-Hariri Al-Basri, born in 446/1054, was an Arabic poet and philologist, known principally for his Maqamat or Sessions. Al-Hariri, whose duties brought him into contact with various high dignitaries of Baghdad, might have been encouraged in his enterprise to write the Maqamat by the future vizier of al-Mustarshid (512-29/1118-35), Ibn ‘Adala, to whom he dedicated his Maqamat.
The Maqamat had an extraordinary success, which gave rise to countless imitations in Arabic, Persian, Syriac and even Hebrew. It was translated into major European languages.