It has been called the ‘forbidden classic’ of Arabic sexuality. Lance Dane, author of The Complete Illustrated KamaSutra, narrates how ‘The Perfumed Garden’ came to be written and entered the mainstream through Sir Richard Butron’s English transliteration.
Tunisia of today has a rich and vivid backdrop of narrative history, a fertile cradle of prolific trade and a rich cultural, philosophical and Islamic literature heritage.
Phoenicians invaded from Tyre in Lebanon and founded
the sea port of Carthage as a trading post by the ninth century B.C. In 533AD, the Byzantine Empire took control and for about 200 years from the end of the 7th century A.D when this important sea port was invaded by Arabs, and Islam was introduced. A succession of Islamic dynasties followed. In the last quarter of the 16th century, it became notorious, once again, when a hoard of Barbary Pirates ousted the Byzantines and threatened European merchant ships till the 19th century.
In the early 18th century, Husayn Bey founded a local dynasty, which flourished under the protective rule of the Ottomans. Scholars found it an ideal place to meet and discuss their interest in Arabic literature. Even so we have very little evidence of those eventful times. The Ottoman regent and his vazir had leisurely pursued poetic gatherings and encouraged learned discussions and in this climate The Perfumed Garden – ‘for the repose of the mind’, came into being.
It is the one and only classic making its presence known in the field of Arabian Erotology. The author was a shadowy romantic, diligent observer, maybe a practitioner of ‘Arabian Delights’, about whom very little is known! He was an Arab by the name of Sheikh Nefzawi. He inhabited convivial surroundings, gallivanting with like minded friends, who enjoyed the pleasures of the scented gardens, delighting in the pungent aromas of the havens of the rich and enjoying the companionship of beautiful ladies who would sing and dance to entertain their gentlemen friends.
Sir Richard Francis Burton, KCMG, a charismatic personality who was already an explorer and translator (he knew 35 oriental languages and was well read on all aspects of India and the Middle East) was posted to army headquarters of the Bombay presidency. During his service in western India, he made a lifelong friendship with Francis F Arbuthnot. They collaborated in their position to transliterate Indian manuscripts on erotica; they had been working together on the ‘Ananga Ranga-Theatre of the love of god’, composed by Kalyanamulla, a Hindu courtier in the court of a Muslim nobleman of the Lodi dynasty. Whilst reading with pundits the text written in Devnagiri, they came across remarks on the Kamasutra and made sustained efforts to find an authentic manuscript. They finally did succeed and this was their most important work published in 1882. Sir Richard was a keen explorer and in 1854/5, he took leave to go to Africa to discover the source of the Nile. Only on his second attempt on 1857-58 together with John Speke did they reach Lake Tanganyika.
His sojourn in the Middle East was his most productive period, when he came across the Arabic manuscript of The Perfumed Garden. He transformed the text through his unique knowledge of the customs and the natural habits of the Arabs (he would dress in their garments and move amongst them without the Arabs he consorted with realising that he wasn't one). He was the greatest Arabist of his time and his profound knowledge of the rhythms of Arab life and literature enabled him to reveal 'The Perfumed Garden’ in the fullest sense in the English version. The book of the thousand nights and a night is his masterpiece.
Note: These are not literary works on sex primarily, they are about way of life together with your partner, and they are not pornographic.
ABOUT THE PERFUMED GARDEN
You could call it an Arabic ‘Kamasutra’ but that would be an overgeneralization of this 16th Century sex manual that explores sexuality in Middle Eastern cultures (specifically Tunisian and Arabic) in a new light. It presents, through its narratives of what connotes ‘proper’ sexual practice, an intriguing portrait. The stories (included in the book alongside the ‘teachings’) read a bit like the 1001 Nights tales, and there’s also more than a hint of male bias. But it remains a unique piece of work – a historical oddity – showcasing a new dimension from a region which has given Islam its character which we see manifested at most places today.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
Tunisia of today has a rich and vivid backdrop of narrative history, a fertile cradle of prolific trade and a rich cultural, philosophical and Islamic literature heritage.
Phoenicians invaded from Tyre in Lebanon and founded
the sea port of Carthage as a trading post by the ninth century B.C. In 533AD, the Byzantine Empire took control and for about 200 years from the end of the 7th century A.D when this important sea port was invaded by Arabs, and Islam was introduced. A succession of Islamic dynasties followed. In the last quarter of the 16th century, it became notorious, once again, when a hoard of Barbary Pirates ousted the Byzantines and threatened European merchant ships till the 19th century.In the early 18th century, Husayn Bey founded a local dynasty, which flourished under the protective rule of the Ottomans. Scholars found it an ideal place to meet and discuss their interest in Arabic literature. Even so we have very little evidence of those eventful times. The Ottoman regent and his vazir had leisurely pursued poetic gatherings and encouraged learned discussions and in this climate The Perfumed Garden – ‘for the repose of the mind’, came into being.
It is the one and only classic making its presence known in the field of Arabian Erotology. The author was a shadowy romantic, diligent observer, maybe a practitioner of ‘Arabian Delights’, about whom very little is known! He was an Arab by the name of Sheikh Nefzawi. He inhabited convivial surroundings, gallivanting with like minded friends, who enjoyed the pleasures of the scented gardens, delighting in the pungent aromas of the havens of the rich and enjoying the companionship of beautiful ladies who would sing and dance to entertain their gentlemen friends.
Sir Richard Francis Burton, KCMG, a charismatic personality who was already an explorer and translator (he knew 35 oriental languages and was well read on all aspects of India and the Middle East) was posted to army headquarters of the Bombay presidency. During his service in western India, he made a lifelong friendship with Francis F Arbuthnot. They collaborated in their position to transliterate Indian manuscripts on erotica; they had been working together on the ‘Ananga Ranga-Theatre of the love of god’, composed by Kalyanamulla, a Hindu courtier in the court of a Muslim nobleman of the Lodi dynasty. Whilst reading with pundits the text written in Devnagiri, they came across remarks on the Kamasutra and made sustained efforts to find an authentic manuscript. They finally did succeed and this was their most important work published in 1882. Sir Richard was a keen explorer and in 1854/5, he took leave to go to Africa to discover the source of the Nile. Only on his second attempt on 1857-58 together with John Speke did they reach Lake Tanganyika.
His sojourn in the Middle East was his most productive period, when he came across the Arabic manuscript of The Perfumed Garden. He transformed the text through his unique knowledge of the customs and the natural habits of the Arabs (he would dress in their garments and move amongst them without the Arabs he consorted with realising that he wasn't one). He was the greatest Arabist of his time and his profound knowledge of the rhythms of Arab life and literature enabled him to reveal 'The Perfumed Garden’ in the fullest sense in the English version. The book of the thousand nights and a night is his masterpiece.
Note: These are not literary works on sex primarily, they are about way of life together with your partner, and they are not pornographic.
ABOUT THE PERFUMED GARDEN
You could call it an Arabic ‘Kamasutra’ but that would be an overgeneralization of this 16th Century sex manual that explores sexuality in Middle Eastern cultures (specifically Tunisian and Arabic) in a new light. It presents, through its narratives of what connotes ‘proper’ sexual practice, an intriguing portrait. The stories (included in the book alongside the ‘teachings’) read a bit like the 1001 Nights tales, and there’s also more than a hint of male bias. But it remains a unique piece of work – a historical oddity – showcasing a new dimension from a region which has given Islam its character which we see manifested at most places today.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
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