Arab Women in the Middle Ages: Private Lives and Public Roles

Regardless of social rank and religion, whether Christian, Jew, or Muslim, Arab women in the middle ages played an important role in the functioning of society. This book is a journey into their daily lives, their private spaces and public roles.First we are introduced into the women’s sanctuaries, their homes, and what occurs within its realm – marriage and contraception, childbirth and childcare, culinary traditions, body and beauty rituals – providing rare insight into the rites and rituals prevalent among the different communities of the time.These women were also much present in the public arena and made important contributions in the fields of scholarship and the affairs of state. A number of them were benefactresses, poets, calligraphers,...