Maqāmāt

work by al-Hamadhānī

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The maqāmah is an Arabic literary genre that features entertaining anecdotes, often about rogues and beggars, written in elegant, rhymed prose called sajʿ. The first collection of these stories, the Maqāmāt, was created by al-Hamadhānī around 1008 CE. These are not factual accounts but rather picaresque stories woven around two imaginary characters, typically the narrator and a witty orator. Al-Hamadhānī is credited with composing 400 maqāmahs, though only about 52 remain extant. The genre was later revived and established by al-Ḥarīrī.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

maqāmah
…of being factual, was the Maqāmāt of al-Hamadhānī (d. 1008). It consists mainly of picaresque stories in alternating prose and verse woven round two imaginary characters. The genre was revived and finally established in the 11th century by al-Ḥarīrī of Basra (Iraq), whose Maqāmāt, closely imitating al-Hamadhānī’s, is regarded as…
Read More
…of being factual, was the Maqāmāt of al-Hamadhānī (d. 1008). It consists mainly of picaresque stories in alternating prose and verse woven round two imaginary characters. The genre was revived and finally established in the 11th century by al-Ḥarīrī of Basra (Iraq), whose Maqāmāt, closely imitating al-Hamadhānī’s, is regarded as…
Read More