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Sofia Ashooh
Fitzgerald
HIST 269
16 November 2014
Critical Book Review: The Slave Girls of Baghdad
Fuad Matthew Caswells book entitled The Slave Girls of Baghdad: The Qiyan in the
Early Abbasid Era investigates a fascinating feature of Islamic cultural past. Caswell aims to
answer the question of who the qiyan were by illustrating their contributions to the culture of
ninth century Arab society. The functions of the qiyan generally consisted of performing poetry
and song, flirtations, and sexual favors. Ultimately, they were female slaves whose status was
defined by law. This paper will endeavor to critically review the contents of Caswells study,
arguing that while there is some left to be desired, Caswell is overall successful in providing an
intriguing and complete account of the qiyan.
In his introduction, Caswell deliberately brings up the Japanese geisha and the Greek
heitara in order to make the point that the qiyan are completely different due to the element of
their enslavement. He defines the term and its origins while also providing a colorful backdrop
for the emergence of the qiyan, courtesy of the Abbasid Caliphate. He finishes the introduction
by assessing the benefits and limitations of the primary sources utilized throughout the book. The
first chapter opens with a description of the social situations of the slaves in Islamic culture
logically paying particular attention to female slaves, and Islamic law. He distinguishes the
differences between the qiyan, ima shawair (slave-girl poets), and qiyan mughanniyyat (singing
slave-girls). Chapter two focuses specifically on the ima shawair and the qiyan. It also delves
into the various views and attitudes towards the institution as a whole. Chapter three pays

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attention to four notable slave women poets. It presents the reader with an array of in-depth
biographical material on each of them. The following chapter aptly named Some other slavegirl poets: short biographical notes (Caswell 133) provides a more general and disjointed (but
nonetheless captivating) treatment of fifteen other women. The next three chapters examine the
types of poetry performed by the qiyan: eulogy, mourning, and satire. Caswell continues with
chapters on notable free women, amatory poetry, and the technicalities of singing and music.
Chapter 11 spotlights four slave girls known specifically for their singing a similar approach to
chapter three, but also clarifies the description of singing girls generally. The final chapter
(excluding the epilogue), surveys the decline and fall of the Abbasid Caliphate.
While unfolding the complex role of the qiyan, there is an effort made by the author to
employ certain methodologies in order to present his arguments. Caswell accentuates an
underlying theme focusing upon the Abbasid Caliphate, in order to connect each aspect of the
book in a clear and concise manner. The introduction correlates the decline of the qiyan with the
deterioration of the Abbasid court. In addition to this, many of the chapters begin with a
reference to the state of affairs in the Abbasid era, which relates to the content that follows.
There is an interweaving of historical information related to the Abbasids throughout the entire
method. In chapter 11, which focuses particularly on the rise and fall of the Abbasids, Caswell
impressively weaves in the qiyan. While he intelligently points out that slave girls were neither
concerned nor greatly affected by politics, he is able to show the ways in which their lives were
impacted through the evidence in their poetry. This method is effective in creating a concrete
notion for the reader to hold onto throughout the narrative. Overall, it creates a more wellrounded and relevant survey of an aspect of Islamic culture.

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In addition to the installation of a historical framework, the primary methodology of The
Slave Girls of Baghdad lies in Caswells use of a significant and diverse array of source material
throughout primarily in the form of poetry. This is to be expected as Caswell studied Classical
Arabic extensively. He transliterates most of the primary sources and uses them to support and
illustrate his observations of the qiyan in a vivid and entertaining way. The majority of the
poems come out of Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahanis Kitab al-Aghani. However, there are a total of
eight authors of Arabic medieval literature that are used throughout the book including al-Jahiz,
al-Masudi, and Ibn al-Mutazz. Other sources such as an auction catalogue of slaves highlight
cultural developments that occurred as the qiyan movement emerged. Perhaps the most
intriguing part pays attention to the lives of four prominent female poets in the longest chapter of
his book. The biographical information offered on these women in particular is extensive we
learn of their relationships, their personalities, their childhood, their strengths, and their
weaknesses. Caswell utilizes poetry performed by these women to amplify their profiles, which
is a powerful decision. By humanizing the qiyan in this way, the reader is presented with a more
potent representation of their place and influence in society. The use of such an impressive
mixture of primary sources brings life to the culture of the time and reinforces his analysis.
While the use of source material is indeed impressive, one is left with many lingering
questions after reading Caswells chapters dedicated to the biographies of slave-girl poets.
Particularly concerning the chapter Some Other Slave-Girl Poets which features fifteen more
women, in addition to the four major ones. Caswell explains that the popularity and prominence
among the Abbasid caliphs and others of high rank the reason why there was such attention
given to them. However, the question of how the other fifteen made the cut sits unanswered.
Fifteen is a large enough number that one could be forgiven for thinking that those were the only

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other slave-girls because the qiyan only lasted for a little over a generation. Caswell is not clear
in his reasoning or context for picking those fifteen women. It is likely that it was because they
had enough source material on them, but then some of their descriptions only last for a
paragraph. There is no frame of reference that mentions the size of the qiyan, which would be
endlessly helpful in painting a picture of how they lived.
Another approach from which Caswell views the qiyan concerns Islamic law. Not unlike
his attraction to Arabic literature, this makes sense as Caswell is known for his long career as a
barrister. From the start of the book, the reader is introduced to the nature of Islamic law.
Caswell makes it clear that what distinguishes the qiyan from other forms of courteseanship is
the fact that the laws of Islam defined their status (Caswell 1). Caswell correctly provides the
bulk of legal information at the beginning of the book in order to define the context for what
follows. The readers are repeatedly exposed to the influence of cultural norms throughout the
book. It seems that Caswell classifies Islamic law and Arab societal norms as equally influential
on the institution of the qiyan. This is valuable in that it provides a comprehensive impression of
all aspects of the society in which the qiyan emerged.
Caswell does not spend as much time as one would expect on the discussion of the
qiyans relationship with and perpetuation of gender roles. However, he does recognize Fatima
Mernissis theory concerning the qiyan. Caswell calls her argument into question, which blames
the qiyan for the generally subordinate position of women in todays Arab society. He finds
fault in her theory rather quickly by accusing her of using hyperbole to make a political case
(Caswell 47). Mernissi contends that the qiyan impacted the entire Muslim world, which Caswell
claims cannot be the case due to the brevity (only lasting 75 years) and geographically limited
nature (predominantly in Baghdad and Basra) of the qiyan institution. Caswell concludes his

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critique by accusing Mernissi of missing more applicable and challenging targets by settling for
the soft and questionable target (Caswell 50) of the qiyan. The fact that Caswell disagrees with
Mernissis approach adds value to the overall strength of his account.
While presenting and refuting this alternative viewpoint of Mernissi is valuable, it is the
only one that Caswell discusses. It seems as though he is detached from input by literary
scholars on the topic of the qiyan. He occasionally cites modern historical scholars when he is
providing historical information about the sources that he analyzes. It seems odd that Caswell
would leave out any interpretation of literature by other scholars, owing to the fact that his
primary area of study is classical Arabic literature. It cannot be a problem of a lack of
commentary because the sources he uses are heavily studied. It is of course beneficial to hear
Caswells outlooks, however, a more well-rounded and complete account of the qiyan would
include other perspectives as well.
Overall, Caswells The Slave Girls of Baghdad does an exemplary job of presenting a
fascinating overview of a complex topic. This would likely succeed in appealing to a legitimately
broad audience particularly due to its general treatment of the topic. Also, the inclusion of a list
of abbreviations and conventions, appendixes of the Abbasid Caliphs, in addition to a glossary
make this book more approachable for the less-informed reader. With that being said, it seems to
be intended for those with a background in pre-modern Middle Eastern history even more so
for those with an interest in the various expressions of slavery and law. The Slave Girls of
Baghdad would be particularly useful for those interested specifically in the culture of the
Abbasid Caliphates Golden Age. It is especially valuable in its contribution of a comprehensive
yet thoughtful impression of the qiyan grounded in a support system of historical material. It
provides a jumping-off point for readers to begin to make their own interpretations about the

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institution itself. Caswells work is an important book that contributes to the current knowledge
of Middle Eastern history.