The poetics of the scenography of power: the embassy of Yaḥya al-Ghazāl to Constantinople

Abstract

This article discusses ceremonial features of the first Cordovan embassy sent to Constantinople by ‘Abd al-Raḥmān II, amīr of al-Andalus. It is the result of a mission sent by the Byzantine Emperor Theophilos to Cordoba in 225 A.H. (ca. 839/840 A.D.). As al-Ghazāl’s mission to Constantinople does not have the intent of drawing a political alliance, it is usually dismissed by historians as only containing “anecdotic” accounts not worth to be commented. However, situations described reveal ceremonial significance. Poetry within the ritualized protocol, ceremonial gestures and events taking place at the Byzantine court of Theophilos will be discussed.