Ziryab, 9th century influencer
- Mosul, 789. Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Nafi was born in the city of Abbastar caliphate. He was known as Ziryab (zozo) for his dark skin and, above all, for his beautiful voice, according to historian Ibn Hayyan (987-1075).
Through this gift, Master Ishaq al-Mawsili introduced him to the caliph court, but when the student surpassed the teacher, through jealousy and envy, the disciple fled Baghdad's court in 822. According to other sources, he left the city before, in 813, and after touring Syria and Ifriki, the travelling musician went to Córdoba. The new Emir Abd ar-Rahman II opened there, on the one hand, because the Omeians were fastidious enemies of the abbes of Baghdad and, on the other, because the Emir wanted Córdoba to be the most important cultural capital of Europe. From then on, Ziryab lived in Córdoba, where he died in 857. And yet its influence was going to go a long way in many areas.
With freedom and resources to develop and disseminate his musical skills in Córdoba, he created the first conservatory of music in Europe. There the students learned to tune, to express the body, to hair, to recite, to follow the beat... In view of the lessons, it is clear that singing was a particular task in the conservatory, but Ziryabe also contributed to musical instruments. To the oriental plane called you, you added the fifth string, which would be the origin of the classical guitar, even though you still had to add another string.
In gastronomy, the first recipe for must was yours, at least the version of the must that was made before bringing tomatoes and peppers from America. But his most popular dish, which exceeded the limits of Al-Andalus, was the Cirbaya, made of milk, meat and almond. Catalan dishes menjar blanc, blanc-manger french and Viancomangiare italian have their origin in them. He also suggested the usual order of dishes from broths and snacks to desserts.
Like any base influencer, it left its mark on clothing and aesthetics. In cold times, you see dark and hot colors, and you see it in clear colors, distinguishing the right garments for the morning, afternoon and night. Among the men it became fashionable the long hair front, opened beauty salons for the women and created an aesthetic institute that gave classes of hairdressing, hair removal and cosmetics.
According to Ibn Hayyan, he had time to have ten children.
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