Zyriab
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Zyriab (789- 857) was a poet and musician. He was born in Baghdad, during Ummayad period. Historians differ over whether Zyriab was African, Persian or Kurdish [1]. According to some sources, Zyriab was a liberated black slave from the 9th century Baghdad court of Haroun al-Rashid [2]. According to others, his ancestry came from the Kurds of Fars Province.[3]
Ziryab was a gifted pupil of Ishaq al-Mawsili. He had to leave Baghdad when his skills as a musician surpassed those of his teacher. He moved to Córdoba in southern Spain and was accepted as court musician in the court of Abd al-Rahman II of the Umayyad Dynasty (822-52).
Abd al-Rahman II was a great patron of the arts and Zyriab was given a great deal of freedom. He established one of the first schools of music, introduced the oud into Europe, and made changes to the structure of the oud adding more strings. He was supposedly a great virtuoso on the oud and an amazing singer.
Zyriab is thought to have codified the disparate elements of Arab poetic traditions of qasidah, mwashah and zajal.[4]
Besides his musical achievements he also introduced into Europe other elements of Middle Eastern culture, including etiquette, cooking, fashion, and toothpaste among others.