Ibn al-Jayyab facts for kids
Ibn al-Jayyāb al-Gharnāṭī (born 1274, died 1349) was a famous writer, poet, and important government official. He lived in Al-Andalus, which is now part of Spain. He worked for the Nasrid rulers in the Emirate of Granada.
Ibn al-Jayyāb was born in Granada and grew up there. He came from an Arab family, part of the Ansar tribe. He learned from many smart people in his city. Sadly, he died in Granada during the Black Death plague.
After he passed away, his students collected his many poems and writings. One of his most famous students was Ibn al-Khaṭīb, who later took over his job as a top advisor. Ibn al-Jayyāb wrote poems in a classic style. Some of his poems can still be seen on the walls of the Alhambra, a beautiful palace in Granada.
Poetry and the Alhambra Palace
Ibn al-Jayyāb was one of three poets whose verses were carved into the walls of the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a large palace and fortress built mostly in the 1200s and 1300s. The other two poets were Ibn al-Khaṭīb and Ibn Zamrak.
Ibn al-Jayyāb's poems are found in several parts of the Alhambra. You can see them in the Tower of the Captive, also called the Qalahurra of Yusuf I. His poems are also in the Hall of Ambassadors and at the entrance of the Sala de la Barca. He created about ten to twelve poems for the palace walls.
All four poems in the Tower of the Captive were written by him. In these poems, Ibn al-Jayyāb used special poetry tricks. This helped people living at the time understand his words better. Many poems in the Alhambra talk about the buildings themselves. Ibn al-Jayyāb's poems often sound like the walls are speaking. It's as if the building itself is telling a story, not the poet.
Here is one of his poems from the Tower of the Captive:
This piece of art has come to decorate the Alhambra;
which is the home of the peaceful and of the warriors;
Calahorra that contains a palace.
Say that it is at the same time a fortress and a mansion for joy!
It is a palace in which magnificence is shared
among its ceiling, its floor and its four walls;
on the stuccowork and on the glazed tiles there are wonders,
but the carved wooden ceilings are even more extraordinary;
these were all united and their union gave birth to the most perfect
construction in the place where the highest mansion already stood;
they seem poetic images, paronomasias and transpositions,
the decorative branches and inlays.
Yusuf's visage appears before us as a sign
that is where all the perfections have met.
It is from the glorious tribe of Jazray, whose works in favor of the religion
are like dawn, when its light appears in the horizon.
Ibn al-Jayyāb also wrote a poem for a new Madrasa (a type of university). He wrote it a few months before he died. However, this poem was not carved into the building when the Madrasa opened.
Here is his poem for the Madrasa:
Oh student of science, its open door is open.
Enter and witness its radiance; the morning sun has appeared.
Thank your benefactor on entering and leaving.
For, God has brought near what was far off in your aiming.
The capital of Islam has founded a madrasa
in which the path of good guidance and of science has become clear.
The works and doings of our Soverign Yusuf
decorated its pages, tipped its scale.
Role in the Nasrid Court
Ibn al-Jayyāb was a very important official called a vizier for the Nasrid ruler, Sultan Yusuf I. He was also the Sultan's chief secretary. Records show that when Sultan Yusuf I wanted to name someone to take his place, Ibn al-Jayyāb wrote the official legal papers.
It is also said that Ibn al-Jayyāb sometimes disagreed with the Sultan's choices. He would do this if he believed his own decision was the right one. This shows he was a strong and decisive person.
Mentoring Ibn al-Khatib
Ibn al-Khaṭīb first met Ibn al-Jayyāb when he was a young boy. At that time, Ibn al-Khaṭīb's father also worked at the Nasrid court in Granada. Ibn al-Jayyāb personally taught the young boy how to write poetry. Ibn al-Khaṭīb continued to write poems throughout his life.
Ibn al-Jayyāb gave his young student advice many times. This included advice about how things worked in the court. For example, Ibn al-Jayyāb once explained how he stood firm with the Sultan, even though the Sultan was very powerful. He told a story where the Sultan ordered a prisoner to be freed. But the judge, right in front of the Sultan, told the jailer to keep the prisoner locked up. The judge even threatened the jailer if he let the prisoner go. This showed Ibn al-Jayyāb's strong will.
Ibn al-Jayyāb's death from the Black Death deeply affected Ibn al-Khaṭīb. It led him to study medicine and write a book about the plague. After Ibn al-Jayyāb died, his student, Ibn al-Khaṭīb, took over his important job. He became the vizier for both civil and military matters for the Nasrid Sultanate. Ibn al-Khaṭīb's writings show how much he admired his teacher. This relationship likely influenced how Ibn al-Khaṭīb later taught his own student, Ibn al-Zamrak. Ibn al-Khaṭīb's poems would also later decorate the walls of the Alhambra, just like his mentor's.
See also
In Spanish: Ibn al-Yayyab para niños
