Flowery Ladies

Umayyad court ladies, early 8th century

The Umayyad dynasty was a caliphate with Damascus as its capital. Following Muhammad’s death, the Islamic Empire elected a caliph for a time. However, disputes within the leadership over who would succeed him continued, and the empire was thrown into chaos when a series of caliphs were assassinated during the conflict. Eventually, Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (re. 661-680), the governor of Damascus, eventually took control of the situation and made his family to succeed the caliphate. The Umayyad dynasty was the first hereditary caliphate.

The Umayyad dynasty ended a several decades of conflict and established a relatively stable political system. Their confidence was reflected by the Arab ruling class embracing the prior civilizations.

The “desert castles (qusayr/qasr)” are good example of the Umayyad era's tendency to absorb foreign cultures. These palaces were built in secluded locations in what is now northeastern Jordan and Syria. They were complete with bathhouses, warehouses, gardens, residences, and even mosques. They were often used as winter residences for the nobility or as hunting lodges. The qasr was lavishly decorated with mosaics, frescoes, and stucco reliefs, with strong Greco-Roman and Persian influences. They offers a glimpse into the opulent life of the Umayyad aristocracy.

The most famous Umayyad desert castle is Qusayr Amra located in Jordan. It is a hunting lodge built by al-Walid ibn Yazid (re. 743–744) before his ascension to the throne. Among the features of Qusayr Amra that has always caught the attention of art historians is the abundance of naked, mainly female flesh displayed. Topless and nude women are depicted bathing, dancing, playing instruments, and lying in bed. This is considerably different from what is typically known as the characteristics of Islamic art.

The Qu’ran explicitly mentions that both men and women have to cover their bodies and avoid depictions of living creatures. However, since the Umayyad period, these laws have only been applied to religious buildings. In addition to Qusayr Amra, several nude statues and murals have been found in other desert castles, such as Khirbat al-Mafjar and Qasr al-Mshatta. A bronze brazier from al-Fudayn depicts a man and woman fondling each other with their genitals emphasized. Even the mosque at Wasit, which was founded in 702, boasted a large brass basin in the shape of a woman, from whose breasts water flowed. Caliph Walid, who ordered the construction of the Qusayr Amra, later built the palace of Mushattá with a throne room adorned with huge statues of both men and women either entirely naked or draped in such a way as to emphasize their genitals.

This representation of nudity comes from Greco-Roman and Sassanid Persian traditions. The Greco-Roman world has long had a significant tradition of nudity in art, and the culture spread to Iran as people moved between the Roman and Sassanid empires. Indeed, Greco-Roman influences can be seen throughout Qusayr Amra, not just the nudity. The attire of the dancers is similar to that of various Roman pottery figurines of Aphrodite, and there are other figures associated with Dionysus, Eros, and Nike in the murals.

Given that many of the murals at Qusayr Amra are in bathroom areas, it is clear that the decor was modeled after Roman baths. The baths were one of the last places in the Roman Empire where the pagan art tradition survived into the Christian era. The themes of abundance, relaxation, eroticism, music, dance, and the nudity persisted in bathhouse culture in the Roman Empire until the 5th and 6th centuries, when Christianity became dominant. This colorful bath culture of the ancient Roman Empire was carried over into the Islamic world.

The ladies in the drawing are based on frescoes and stucco figures of Qusayr Amra and Khirbat al-Mafjar. Woman on the left is wearing armlets, a necklace, and a body chain (wishah). This body chain rests on the shoulders and falls to the waist, its four sections clasped on the chest and back by a brooch. Such chains might be worn by ladies of rank. They gave emphasis to the breasts. The only garment she wears is a long skirt. The flower pattern of the skirt is based on fresco of Khirbat al-Mafjar. Woman on the right is wearing a relatively short skirt as a sole garment. She is also wearing bracelets, necklace, ear pendants, and anklets. Her fly whisk is based on the Afrasiab murals.

Sources

· Afrasiab murals, 648~651

· Stucco figures and frescoes from Khirbat al Mafjar, early 8th century

· Frescoes from Qusayr Amra, early 8th century

· Garth Fowden, ≪Qusayr Amra: Art and the Umayyad Elite in Late Antique Syria, University of California Press≫, 2004