Very little is known about the thirteenth-century Jewish poet Joseph al-Qarawī. What information there is derives from sixteen poems that were part of a poetic exchange between him and the celebrated poet Ṭodros ben Judah ha-Levi Abulafia (d. 1306) and are preserved in the latter's dīwān. The superscription to al-Qarawī's poem ṢeviyyatḤen Ḥavaṣelet Sheronim ("Charming Gazelle, Rose of Sharon") states that he wrote the poems at the age of twelve, a claim that some scholars have questioned. According to the superscription to his poem Sefatha-Meshorerim Avla ve-Navla ("The language …
Joseph al-Qarawī(440 words)
Cite this page
Esperanza Alfonso, “Joseph al-Qarawī”, in: Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. Consulted online on 02 February 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_SIM_0012070>
First published online: 2010
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