Abū Tammām

Abu Tammam, full name Habib ibn Aws Al-Ta'i (حبيب بن أوس الطائي) (788–845) was an Abbasid-era Arab poet and Muslim convert born to Christian parents, best known for his anthology of Arabic poetry, Hamasah.

Abu Tammam was born in Jasim, Syria, north-east of the Sea of Tiberias and near Daraa. He seems to have spent his youth in Homs, though, according to one story, he was employed during his boyhood selling water at a mosque in Cairo. His first appearance as a poet was in Egypt, but as he failed to make a living there he went to Damascus, and then to Mosul. From there he sought patronage from the Syrian based caliph Al-Ma'mun of Abbasid Empire but failed to impressed him. He then travelled toward the eastern part of the caliphate, eventually gaining admirers and patrons by praising various officials, such as the governer of Arminiya Khalid ibn Yazid al-Shaybani who reportedly gave him 10 000 dirhams on each occasion and financed his travels. Following the death of al-Ma'mun, the newly famous Abu Tamman sought an audiance with the new caliph Al-Mu'tasim who immediately took him under his wing. After 833 he lived mostly in Baghdad, at the court of the caliph Mu'tasim. From Baghdad he visited Khorasan, where he enjoyed the favour of Abdullah ibn Tahir. In approximately 845 he was in Ma'arrat un-Nu'man, where he met the poet al-Buhturi (c. 820–897). He died in Mosul in 845.

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