Palaces, Pavilions and Pleasure-gardens: The context and setting of the medieval majlis

The performance context of medieval Arabic and Persian lyric poetry has yet to receive sufficient scholarly attention. This paper attempts to reconstruct the physical context of medieval Islamic poetic performance and (to a lesser extent) the social setting and human dynamics of such gatherings, with a view to enabling modern-day readers to better appreciate how contemporary audiences enjoyed and understood lyric poetry. This article focuses on the convivial majlis , the primary performance context for lyric poetry in both ‘Abbāsid Baghdad and medieval Iran (c.1000-1450), two key milieux in which lyric poetry flourished. Information on majālis at which poetry was performed is scattered through a variety of medieval Arabic and Persian prose sources (primarily works of adab and histories), and is largely anecdotal. The poetry itself, insofar as it reflects the context in which it was performed, is also a valuable source of information which can aid our understanding of the medieval majlis . Reference has also been made to art historical studies inasmuch as they provide material evidence to further illustrate what is found in the written sources.