Safiyya al-Baghdadiyya

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Safiyya al-Baghdadiyya (Arabic: صفية البغدادية) was a medieval Arabic poet who lived in Baghdad in the 12th century, during the later Abbasid Caliphate, a period often called the Islamic Golden Age. Not much is known about her life, and only a few of her poems have survived. She wrote in Arabic and is associated with the Abbasid era. One of her poems, “I am the wonder,” appears in Abdulla al-Udhari’s Classical Poems by Arab Women (1999). The poem shows a liberal and self-confident voice, describing herself as “the wonder of the world, the ravisher of hearts and minds,” and adding that “Once you’ve seen my stunning looks, you’re a fallen man.” She died in Baghdad, and her resting place is Baghdad.