Abu Nuwas died in 814 CE in Baghdad, aged about 52. A classical Arabic poet of the early Abbasid era, Abu Nuwas was of mixed Arab and Persian background and grew up in Basra and Kufa before making his name at the court in Baghdad, particularly under Caliph Harun al-Rashid. He wrote in nearly every genre but is best known for witty, sensual poems about wine, love and hunting, which broke with the conventions of desert poetry. His verses often mocked traditional pieties and the old Bedouin poetic style. He became a legendary figure in later storytelling, and some anecdotes about him appear in collections linked to the Arabian Nights. The exact years of his life are uncertain, and the dates given are traditional.
Before and after
- 803 CELeshan Giant Buddha
- 20 July 810 CEBirth of Muḥammad ibn Ismaeel al-Bukhārī
- from 811 CE to 819 CEFourth Fitna
- 813 CERise of Bagrationi dynasty
- 814 CEDeath of Abu Nuwas
- 28 January 814 CEDeath of Charlemagne
- c. 818 CEOrigins of the Imam Reza Shrine
- from 819 CE to 999 CESamanid dynasty
- c. 820sAl-Khwarizmi writes the book that gives algebra its name
More in Art, literature & culture
- from 1000 to 1200Rise of Romanesque art
- c. 1010sMurasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji
- July 1054East-West Schism
- from 1140 to 1530Gothic art
- 1400Rise of Renaissance music
- c. 1490sThe Last Supper
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 9th century.