Ziryab

Abu al-Hasan 'Ali Ibn Nafi', better known as Ziryab, Zeryab, or Zaryab (Arabic: أبو الحسن علي ابن نافع, زریاب;[2] c. 789–c.

Based on his appearance and background, different sources suggest him to be of Persian,[6][7][8] Kurdish,[9] Sindi,[10][11] African, or mixed Arab-African descent.

He then traveled first to Syria and then Ifriqiya (Tunisia) in Kairouan, where he lived at the Aghlabid court of Ziyadat Allah (ruled 816–837).

[16] One account recorded by al-Maqqari says that Ziryab inspired the jealousy of his mentor by giving an impressive performance for the caliph Harun al-Rashid (d. 809), with the result that al-Mawsili told him to leave the city.

He found on arrival in Al-Andalus that prince Al-Hakam I had died, but his son, Abd ar-Rahman II, renewed his father's invitation.

"[1] As the Islamic armies conquered more and more territories, their musical culture spread with them, as far as western China in the east and Iberia in the west.

[18] Al-Maqqari states in his Nafh al-Tib[20] (Fragrant Breeze): "There never was, either before or after him (Ziryab), a man of his profession who was more generally beloved and admired".

According to Ibn Hayyan, in common with erudite men of his time he was well versed in many areas of classical study such as astronomy, history, and geography.

[18] These children kept their father's music school alive, but the female slave singers he trained also were regarded as reliable sources for his repertoire in the following generation.

[19] Ziryab is said to have improved the oud (or Laúd) by adding a fifth pair of strings, and using an eagle's beak or quill instead of a wooden pick.

If a student didn't have a large vocal capacity, for instance, he would put pieces of wood in their jaw to force them to hold their mouth open.

Or he would tie a sash tightly around the waist to make them breathe in a particular way, and he would test incoming students by having them sing as loudly and as long a note as they possibly could to see whether they had lung capacity.

Henri Terrasse, a French historian of North Africa, commented that legend attributes winter and summer clothing styles and "the luxurious dress of the Orient" found in Morocco today to Ziryab, but argues that "Without a doubt, a lone man could not achieve this transformation.

It is rather a development which shook the Muslim world in general..."[22] He created a deodorant to get rid of bad odors,[18] promoted morning and evening baths, and emphasized the maintenance of personal hygiene.

[23] According to Al-Maqqari, before the arrival of Ziryab, men and women of al-Andalus in the Cordoban court wore their long hair parted in the middle and hung down loose down to the shoulders.