Blog & News

Pseudo-Kufic in the SCA

November 3rd, 2024 — "Hackhands," "stylized scripts," and "fake hands" are a topic of discussion once again in the SCA. Because this discussion has been fraught with wild generalizations and assumptions, I have decided to help educate the community about the small corner of this conversation on which I am qualified to speak. 

I will cover this topic in five parts: 1) what is hackhand & why to avoid it, 2) a summary of pseudo-kufic in historical context, 3) the differences between hackhand & pseudo-kufic, 4) the phenomena of conflating "exotic" languages, and 5) using pseudo-kufic in the SCA. 

What is "hackhand?"

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What is Pseudo-Kufic?

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Differentiating Pseudo-Kufic from "hackhand"

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The Pitfalls of Presentism

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Using Pseudo-Kufic in the SCA

When considering how (or whether) to recreate any historical art in the SCA, we must be strategic, considering available knowledge & resources, historical implications, modern implications, and any potential impact on other Scadians. Much of the time, 


I suggest using the SCA's stated mission as one tool to guide these decisions. 


To learn more: An Architectural Investigation of Marinid and Wattasid Fes Medina (674-961/1276-1554), In Terms of Gender, Legend, and Law, doctoral dissertation by Simon M. O'Meara, 2004; Reading Jewish Fez: On the Cultural Identity of a Moroccan City; Space and Muslim Urban Life at the Limits of the Labyrinth of Fes, by Simon O'Meara. 


SCA Research Without a Brain, Nor Many Spoons (Part 1)

June 18, 2024 — For the past three seasons, due to severe medical problems, I've been unable to read much at all. It's quite the predicament for a research Laurel. So to keep my brain happy — I've shifted to other formats.

Scientific research on cognitive processes shows that we can retain information more readily when it is presented through multiple sensory channels. For this reason, I have been watching videos when my brain is particularly foggy. With subtitles activated, I can listen to and read the words simultaneously, and the video images further reinforce the information. Even if I don't retain anything, I find these lectures & presentations to be a good way to reinforce information and/or preview new material before I dig into the literature. Lastly, these videos also serve to help me understand the range of theories and historical interpretations about discreet events. 


6 TIPS & TRICKS FOR WATCHING HISTORY VIDEOS WITH A CRITICAL EYE

Just like with any source, it's important to vet each source — and because YouTube videos are ostensibly easier to produce than a book — it is doubly necessary to vet videos for unsupported or false information. Here's what I recommend looking for:


TALA'S SELECTION OF YOUTUBE VIDEOS - Part 1

Aga Khan Museum (www.youtube.com/@AgaKhanMuseumToronto)


Al Muqqadimah (www.youtube.com/@AlMuqaddimahYT)


Ancient Semitic (www.youtube.com/@AncientSemitic)


Archaeology Now (www.youtube.com/@ArchaeologyNow)


ArchNet (www.youtube.com/@archnet7620)


The Archaeological Research Facility (www.youtube.com/@ucb_arf)


British Museum (www.youtube.com/@britishmuseum) 


Che Languages (www.youtube.com/@CheLanguages)


Chronicle - Medieval History Documentaries (www.youtube.com/@ChronicleMedieval)


Circle for Late Antique and Medieval Studies, CUNY (www.youtube.com/@CircleforLateAntiqueandMedieva)


Cogito (www.youtube.com/@CogitoEdu)


Costas Melas (www.youtube.com/@CostasMelas)


Dan Davis History (www.youtube.com/@DanDavisHistory)


Dr Raoul McLaughlin (www.youtube.com/@drraoulmclaughlin7423)


Fall of Civilizations (www.youtube.com/@FallofCivilizations)


Hikma History (www.youtube.com/@HikmaHistory)


...stay tuned for Part 2!

Philosophy Salons at South Market Street (SMS) Oasis in Atlantia

September 25th, 2023 — I have facilitated several philosophy classes in the SCA; all at Pennsic where there is a critical mass of similarly-interested folks. I'm looking forward to revitalizing my study of philosophy, and I'd like to provide a venue for others to participate as well.

To that end, I plan to host a monthly philosophy salon held at my house in Maryland. I will focus on one philosopher for 3 months, then move onto the next philosopher. By focusing on the same person for 3 months, I intend to give more people a chance to participate (since I can only host 8 people per salon), and it will also help me achieve a deeper understanding of each philosopher's teachings. This fall, I'm kicking off the philosophy salons with Ibn Rushd, aka Averroes. 

I've chosen to start with Ibn Rushd because he is associated with many non-Muslim philosophers, including: Aristotle, Plato, Ibn Sina (aka, Avicenna), al-Ghazzali, Thomas Aquinas, and many more. Ibn Rushd's teachings were prominently featured in medieval (Christian) European scholasticism, and he was also quite popular in medieval Jewish schools of thought. In order to ground myself in my persona's world, I intend to continue focusing on thinkers who my persona would've studied — but I believe studying Ibn Rushd could give other Scadians a deeper understanding of famous philosophers from ancient Greece to the late-period rationalists of Europe.

In particular, we will drill down on these key concepts from Ibn Rushd: 


Would you like to attend a salon? These discussions will be differentiated (i.e., appropriate for folks at all levels of knowledge). I've provided a primer on Ibn Rushd, including: summaries of Ibn Rushd's most famous teachings, a list of philosophical terms and definitions that might be helpful to know, and links to readings, videos and podcasts to help you learn about these theories. That said: YOU CAN ATTEND A SALON WITHOUT HAVING READ ANY OF THE READINGS. We're all here to learn together. Here are the three salons scheduled for Ibn Rushd. If you don't have Facebook, but would like to access these Facebook-based event pages, please contact me.


I'm pretty excited to establish a forum and structure to talk with other Scadians about crazy questions like: Why are we here? How did it all start? What is the nature of thought and the brain? Let's peek behind the veil of reality and discuss what we think might be making it tick!!

Elevation Accoutrement

August 30th, 2023 — Well, I'm now a Peer of the Society, and I'd like to exhibit some of the beautiful things people made and/or sourced for my elevation. 

THE PEERAGE SCROLL
I am unable to adequately express my delight over this scroll which is absolutely perfect for me. Here's why: I am very passionate about my persona's North African world, and during my time in the SCA, I've endeavored to differentiate it from what is generally labeled as "the middle east." My studies focus on the Maghreb region; not Arabia, the Levant, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, the Mughals, Mongols, or any other culture that historically used Arabic orthography and/or was subsumed into the medieval Islamic world.

This scroll is an adaptation of an ijāzah (الإِجازَة), or certificate, from the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fes, where my persona lives. The university was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 857 CE, and my persona would've walked by it from time to time. It is HYPER-local to my persona. It is also extremely appropriate for a laurel elevation, as ijāzahs were granted to students who'd been deemed knowledgeable & accomplished enough to teach others.

Not only is the script written in Arabic — it is a font specific to the Maghreb, which makes me (both as Rachel & Tala) feel so seen in the Society. Here is the translated text:

"𝑊ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑡, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡. 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠, 𝑤𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑎 𝑎𝑙-𝑍𝑎ℎ𝑟𝑎. 𝐴𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑡𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙-𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒. 𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 50𝑡ℎ 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑐, 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 58 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦, 𝑤𝑒, 𝐴𝑠ℎ𝑓𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑌𝑎𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑛, 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑡𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎, 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑎 𝑎𝑙-𝑍𝑎ℎ𝑟𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑙, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑑𝑑 𝑎 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒. 𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟."

I am BLOWN AWAY by the thoughtfulness, skill & gumption demonstrated by Aelia Suphunibal rabat, who made this for me as her first-ever scroll! I am incredibly grateful to those who contributed research & guidance to Suphunibal as well, including: Lord William de Hirst, Bran Cedio, & Urtatim Al-Qurtubiyya. This is an unspeakably beautiful and meaningful piece of art that I will love & treasure forever.

THE WREATH
The wreath was made for me by the incomparable Princess Mary Isabel of Heatherstone. I am astounded by its fineness and persona-appropriateness, and I'm tickled that it is almost identical to the North African filet styles seen in the 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘴, a 13th Spanish translation of Arabic texts on chess, dice and tables games in Andalusia (I later learned that that was precisely her inspiration). It'll be an amazing way to secure my veils in the future.

THE MEDALLION
The medallion was given to me once again by HRH Mary Isabel. It is 14k gold, originally made for her by Master Thomas Brownwell of Caid — who is the husband of Mistress Thea Northernridge, Princess Mary Isabel's foster Laurel. I am incredibly honored to have a medallion with connections to such talented and graceful members of our Society. 

THE GARB
My Laurel coat was made by Magistra Beatriz Aluarez de la Oya. I can't adequately express how much I treasure this coat! Beatriz included gold buttons from her own elevation dress. Along with the gold Laurel leaves provided by Ollamh Lanea Inghean Uí Chiaragáin, I will feel connected to these 2 strong, beautiful women whenever I wear this stunning coat. The white under-tunic and purple over-tunic were perfect (and comfortable), appropriately-accented with laurel leaf tiraz bands on the upper arms. Thank you also to Doña Mariana Ruiz de Medina for making a beautifully-delicate, dark blue veil for me. Your stitching is a thing of beauty! Lastly, thank you to my partner, Ben Bainbridge, for snagging the LAST 3 yards of this luscious, light-weight, red wool.

...AND MUCH MORE
So many people helped to make my vigil and elevation happen, but I must mention 3 MVPs: Beatriz, Suphunibal, and Ben. Ben is the reason I am alive today, and healthy enough to go to Pennsic at all. Beatriz and Suphunibal worked hard for months to ensure I felt safe, comfortable and *seen* throughout this process (and in the Society in general). I will never be able to adequately thank them for their friendship and support. But that's not all! 1,000 thank yous to:

• Eadric & Adele for preparing such an amazing vigil spread
• The Guild of St Expeditus for generously hosting my vigil
•  the worthy gentles who spoke so eloquently and graciously on my behalf: Rose - Anya via Abran; Knight - Sbyslava; Pelican - Graciela; Laurel - Beatriz & Suphunibal; MOD - Celric via Alessandro, Populace - Bambi/Maria
• Salvia, who helped me keep track of things during the vigil
• Sadb for her guard-extraordiare skills at the vigil
• Aine, who braided hair so expertly for my vigil
• the Black Dragons camp, who supported me in so many ways throughout this Pennsic
• Bambi, for making coffee at the vigil
• the procession participants, including Lanea as herald, William, Berakha, Scheiny, Sadb, River, Aine, Toby, Lori, Sbyslava, Sadb, Stoffel...
• Marguerite (Jacqueline) for making lovely vigil pillows
• Lanea, both for her uplifting words at the hand-washing ceremony, and her help giving me a classy procession into Court for the elevation
• Glaukos, for beverages he contributed to my vigil
• John Peynter for taking photos of the vigil
• Puffin, for her assiduous attention to my new title and its proper pronunciation
• all the people who braved the vigil line to offer me advice or congratulations
• Talia for organizing the online vigil book
• King Afshin and Queen Yasmin for elevating me to the Order of the Laurel 

I do not say this lightly: I am deeply honored to have had all of these amazing people involved with my vigil & elevation. I am now a Laurel and Peer of the Society — and in addition to my own studies, I will continue to encourage others' A&S endeavors in the Society + promote diversity and inclusiveness in everything I do. Thank you to my entire #ChosenFamily. You've made me feel seen, loved, and appreciated — and after a brief recovery break, I look forward to many more A&S adventures!

The Writ!

June 9, 2023 — The title says it all! Last Saturday, at Storvik Novice, I was given a writ to join the Order of the Laurel. 

I'd spent all day under the A&S pavilion, and I taught a class at 2pm on studying less-common cultures in the SCA. Despite some worrying cardiac symptoms I was managing, it had already been a spectacular day of catching up with friends and nerding out together. My partner Ben (mka Pete) and I sat toward the front of Court on a rug. When they called me up, He walked me a few feet to the entrance of Court, then I entered and kneeled at the feet of Their Majesties, King Ashfin and Queen Yasmin. 

If I'm being honest, I don't remember everything that was said — it feels like a blur — but the Queen recounted at length about my contributions to the Society. She recalled my work on Arabic translations and how I'm contacted by people around the Known World in this capacity. She spoke of my coordination of the Maghribi Track and then the African Track at Pennsic University, as well as my teaching within those tracks. She went on and on (even mentioning contributions I'd forgotten about), and then she called up the Order of the Laurel. 

At that point, my hands started shaking — not because of nervousness, but because of excitement! As it happens, I'd had a *severe* POTS flare up that week + I'd discovered that my blood pressure was almost at go-to-the-ER levels, so my body was making it hard to handle the excitement. As the Order gathered behind me, I felt a steadying hand on my shoulder, as my foster Laurel, Magistra Beatriz clairvoyantly seemed to sense that I needed a bit of grounding at that moment. 

The rest is a blur of excitement, hugs, congratulations, and smiles, and I'm still letting it all settle in my mind. I'm not used to being the center of activity (and I've been taught by the world outside the SCA that I don't deserve special, or even normal treatment), so I've been deeply humbled by the folks who've reached out and asked to help plan or contribute to my vigil and elevation. 

I am quite fortunate in my Chosen Family, and I promise to continually strive to uphold the ideals of Peerage (both in academic rigor and in support of the Society's A&S community).

Pride in the SCA: Arabic Edition

June 1, 2023 — Today is the 1st day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month! As a staunch ally, I've been overjoyed to see folks incorporating period AND anachronistic elements of LGBTQ+ identity into their SCA practices and personas. Accordingly, I was consulted earlier this year by a gentle seeking a gender-neutral title for their persona's Arabic name. For this research, I consulted the historical record for non-binary titles (mainly court documents and travelogues associated with the Arabian peninsula and early Arab leadership), and I also consulted with modern Arabic speakers, and several academic scholars of Semitic languages.

Arabic is a HIGHLY-gendered language, and in the end, I could not find any evidence of non-binary titles in period. (Note: This does not necessarily reflect all of the many/diverse client states that were temporarily ruled by Arabian forces before 1600 CE.) I've therefore been considering appropriate anachronisms. After all, the SCA was founded with the notion that the immersive research we do can recreate the past “as [it] ought to have been.”

Ultimately, this is a judgment call, as there are tradeoffs for every option in regard to historical accuracy and semantic precision. Which non-binary Arabic title would you prefer?

Image: Pride flag for LGBTQ+ allies in the Kingdom of Atlantia, created by Rachel Ost

Projects-a-Plenty

May 26th, 2023 — One of the things I appreciate so much about the SCA is that — despite not being associated with an academic program anymore — it gives me a forum to explore and present my historical interests and experiments. Over the years, I've steadily added to the list of projects I wanna do. Here's an incomplete list:

Current Projects in the Works:

Back-Burner Projects:

Just reviewing this project list excites me immensely! I'm gradually learning to be satisfied with getting things done more slowly and steadily, in line with the demands of my new physical limitations. Special "thanks" to my Laurels and apprentice sisters in addition to many other members of the SCA for their constant encouragement and support.

Marinid Fes: an Overview of Urban Spaces

May 16th, 2023 — I've been pretty brainfogged recently, so I haven't been able to organize my work on Amazigh (aka, "Berber") tribes, names & titles. Therefore, I'm moving down the pyramid of Bloom's Taxonomy to less-demanding cognitive processes. Today, I'm reading a bit about medieval Fesi architecture. I'll highlight anything that stands out to me, and I'll incorporate additional knowledge and observations from my many explorations of the city.

"Places affect subtle hearts [...] just as spiritual dwellings differ in excellence, so, too, do bodily ones."
-Ibn al-'Arabi (d. 1240 CE)

Medieval Islam placed great emphasis on physical form, particularly as stressed in non-figural modes like architecture and design. Fes generally fits the ideal of a Muslim city: It had a towering citadel and a royal quarter, complete with residences, administrative offices, and space for personal troops. It also comprised a central, urban complex with markets, mosques, and housing for the elite. A fourth area housed the rest of the city's residents. (Browse the carousel below for some photos I took of of artisans' corners in the old souk, or "market" of Fes.) The souk is still organized in a compartmentalized, labyrinthine way; just as it was during the Marinid Dynasty. Indeed, it is partly because of the Marinids' significant impact on Fes — evident through the many public works projects, patronage of art & education, and a unique architectural style — that I chose this beautiful, palatine city for my SCA persona.

Some historical context: Fes sprang up quietly as an unremarkable, regional city without a unique identity. In fact, it wasn't even a single city, but two walled cities separated by a river. Those two Idrisid cities, Madinat Fes and al-'Aliya, were merged by the Zenatas in the 11th century before the Almoravids took over the expanded city a couple decades later. From 1069-1146 CE, the Almoravids also left their mark on Fes. They expanded and enclosed walls. They built artificial canals throughout Fes to channel water to the city's many fruit trees and gardens, 20-some public baths, and more than 300 mills. As the city was no longer seen as a backwater, new peoples came to Fes to build a life. The city became known for its numerous scholars (particularly those studying Maliki law), and a vigorous community of Jewish tradespeople. During Almohad rule (1120-1269 CE), Fes gradually continued building its reputation as a center for culture and learning — but it wasn't until the city became a dynastic capital of the Marinids in 13th century that Fes entered its golden age.

Marinid Fes (1248 - 1465 CE): The enclosed part of Marinid Fes was approximately 210 square hectares (0.81 square miles), within which lived about 80,000 people. On a trip I took to Fes in 2010 with an approved Ministry of Culture guide, I was informed that every medieval neighborhood of Fes contained several key features: a mosque, a bread oven, a fountain, and a hammam ("bathhouse"). Many (but not all) also had madrasas ("schools"), which were built and expanded upon with enthusiasm during Marinid rule. Much more was built and maintained during the 12th century; as the Customs and Excise supervisor (mushrif) noted, there were:


Walls to demarcate spaces and separate people: One cannot talk about the city of Fes without mentioning its walls. There were two types of walls: those that surround the city (hä'it; pl. hitän), and party walls that help build the internal structure of the city (jidär; pl. judrän). Walls were also differentiated in Islamic law as structures that separate the lawful (haläl) from the forbidden (haräm). This is the origin of the word "harem," and though the seclusion of women in Fes was not absolute, as haräm spaces were partially defined as such to delineate spaces meant for women. More broadly, haläl and haräm spaces indicated private and public areas, respectively. In 1319 CE, a qadi named Abn al-liasan al-Saghir said the following about women's movement within the city: 

"At the time when Shaykh Sidi Abi al-Hasan al-Saghir became qadi of Fes, the women of the city used to leave [their houses] a great deal. So he placed agents on every main thoroughfare (shari') to prohibit their exit. Fearing for the corruption of the agents through their direct contact with the women, he put vats of glue on these thoroughfares for the agents to soil the clothes of those women who ventured out. The women stopped [going out]." 

That said, the woman-free thoroughfares the qadi mentions are distinct from the zagäq or darb, which are neighbourhood passages and alleyways. It is thought that the qadi wished for women to remain in their neighborhoods, not necessarily their houses. Interestingly, because some of the city's tall minarets offered a view into residents' haräm/private spaces, that muezzins were specifically chosen for their chastity, in the hopes that they would avert their eyes whenever reciting the call to prayer during daylight hours. Eventually, however, a market inspector ordered minarets to be lowered below the height that would allow anyone at the top to see into residents' houses.

It wasn't only women's worlds that were separated by walls in Fes. Since the time of Idris II (early 9th century), the Jewish community of Fes was concentrated near Bab Guissa, in the neighborhood known as Fundouk el-Yihoudi ("hotel/warehouse of the Jew"), where the original Jewish cemetery was also located. The Marinids later helped concentrate Jewish residents into an area called a "mellah." The Fesi mellah was the first of its kind, thereafter being replicated throughout North Africa, particularly in what is now Morocco. The mellah residents were grateful to avoid the religious oppression they experienced in Fes al-Bali (the old, walled city). It is also said that the Marinid sultans wished to control and leverage the skills of Jewish residents' craftsmanship. As elsewhere in the Muslim world, the Jewish population lived under the protected but subordinate status of dhimmi; they were required to pay a jizya tax if they did not convert to Islam, but they were able to move about the country with relative freedom.

Conclusion: The years between 1276–1554 CE are oft-considered to be a golden age for Fes, and the Marinids and related Wattasids left an indelible mark on the city during this time through urban design, growth, and architecture. My persona would've been born late in the 13th century to coincide with this apogee. Much of what was created then persists in the modern-day (e.g., including the labyrinthine layout of the souk in the Fes al-Bali neighborhood, the well-known leather tannery, the underlying structure of the city's hydraulic water clock). Further examinations of Marinid-era Fes will delve more deeply into daily life in the city, filtered through the lens of my persona.

To learn more: An Architectural Investigation of Marinid and Wattasid Fes Medina (674-961/1276-1554), In Terms of Gender, Legend, and Law, doctoral dissertation by Simon M. O'Meara, 2004; Reading Jewish Fez: On the Cultural Identity of a Moroccan City; Space and Muslim Urban Life at the Limits of the Labyrinth of Fes, by Simon O'Meara. 

Progress Report: Amazigh Tribal Catalogue

May 2nd, 2023 — My project to catalogue all the pre-1600 Amazigh (aka, Berber) tribes is turning into a doozy. For 2 months, I've been searching for a list of all historical Amazigh & Tuareg tribes with no luck (and that doesn't even cover the relationships between the tribes, which is the main, intended feature of this research project).

Amazigh tribal associations are essential to understanding the history of North Africa — but knowledge of tribal character & history is also a key element in creating an Amazigh persona:

• Do I want my persona to live at the height of Andalusian expansionism? I might choose to be from the Masmuda tribal confederation like the leaders of the Almohads.

• What if I'm Jewish or pagan irl, and I wanna work that into my story? I could be a member of the Barghwata tribe.

• Most Imazighen wore silver. If I wanna wear gold anyway, I should choose a persona associated with the Sanhaja confederation, as they helped control the trans-Saharan gold trade during the Almoravid's rule. Specifically, I could choose the Lamtuna tribe who are originally from modern-day Mauritania.

• What if I want my persona to hail from a fiercely independent & defiant tribe AND I want a persona who might've been Christian? I should be from the Jrāwa tribe, which is associated with the other major tribal confederation (Zenata).

• What if I want a very early-period Amazigh persona? I should be from the Libyan Meshwesh tribe, as we have written records of them from the Egyptians.

• etc.


This is information I want to introduce to the Society so that future SCAdians can have a roadmap for their Amazigh (+ Tuareg) personas. After searching in academic sources, asking my Amazigh friends & teachers, soliciting sources in multiple Amazigh and academic communities, I'm realizing that it's up to me to create this resource from the ground up.

Challenges: There are SO MANY tribes (thousands?). Some have historic foundations, and some are relatively new. Some died out in antiquity, and some disappeared and reemerged later. They all have between 2-10 name forms (and potentially more when the tribe is spelled in French, Spanish, or Dutch sources). In my research, I found so much conflicting evidence about tribal associations that I've started and restarted several separate Excel sheets of tribal associations. Also, the most robust information is from the area now known as Morocco, but I want to include everything from Siwa (in modern-day Egypt) to the Tuaregs who lived in modern-day Burkina Faso

How I will proceed: I imagine this will be a multi-year project that I will present in stages. I may limit the initial stage to medieval tribes only. I'll start with the 3 major confederations — recording their tribal associations, place of origin, and a brief report of notable members and the unique characteristics of each tribe. I'll mostly stick with the Imazighen to start, but I probably won't be able to help myself from including a bit of Tuareg data as well (since Tuaregs are the Imazighen's genetic & cultural cousins). I've got lotsa primary source information on medieval tribes (thanks, Ibn Khaldun!), but that must always be confirmed with modern sources, and visa-versa.

I'm excited about this! It'll be tedious in some ways, but I think it'll prove quite useful to people both inside and outside the SCA.

A Bardic Exploration: Ladino Music & Female Performers

April 26th, 2023 — During the initial Plague Years, I worked on building out my persona: what her life would've been like in the day-to-day, what she would've seen/known/thought, and how she would've occupied her time. 

To that end, in 2020, I began learning songs from the 14th, 15th & 16th centuries, mostly from Andalusia, which was largely populated by Imazighen from North Africa. Indeed, one of the activities that women would've engaged in for recreation is singing (though there were slaves who were forcibly made to perform; more on the Qiyan another time). Free communities of women in Andalusia and North Africa learned songs from each other, and they performed them in private settings to avoid the disapproval of religious leaders who frowned on women showcasing their voices in liturgical or "proper" settings. Mothers passed songs down to their daughters, though well-to-do women may also have had a voice tutor. In keeping with the elevated status of my persona, I have been able to take advantage of singing lessons from the remarkably-talented Magistra Iselda de Narbonne in the Kingdom of Atlantia.

I started my persona-appropriate bardic adventure with the song, "La Rosa Enflorece," which is written in the Ladino language. Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish, was a mix of Hebrew and Spanish spoken by Sephardic Jews in the Iberian peninsula and North Africa. While heavily influenced by the Spanish of the time, it also borrowed heavily from Hebrew and Aramaic. The precise origins of "La Rosa Enflorece" are unclear, but it is believed to have been written sometime in the 15th century. In truth, many of the documented Ladino songs from period are thought to have been written in the two centuries after my persona lived, but the provenance of Ladino songs is hard to pin down due to the persecution and expulsion of Sephardic and North African Jews, particularly around the time of the Reconquista. It is entirely possible that, while I can't yet find songs specifically dated to the early 14th century, my persona would've sung songs very much like those written in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.

"La Rosa Enflorece" tells the story of a rose that blossoms and withers away, serving as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life and love. It has been interpreted in many ways over the years — some seeing it as a lament for lost love or a celebration of the beauty of life. Apropos of the song's theme, I am re-learning to sing after a sudden disability severely impacted my ability to breathe, vocalize, and generally stay upright. Hence, I call the following recording "practice" as I continue to rehabilitate and retrain my body. Here are the lyrics in English: 

The rose blooms in the month of May
My soul darkens, suffering from love
My soul darkens, suffering from love

Nightingales sing, sighing of love
And the passion kills me, my pain increases
And the passion kills me, my pain increases

Come more quickly, my dove, more quickly to me
More quickly you my soul, because I feel myself dying
More quickly you my soul, because I feel myself dying

To learn more: How women contributed to the medieval music scene (article), Sewing by the Window: Women in Judeo-Spanish Folk Songs (article), The Qiyan of al-Andalus (article), Judeo-Spanish song: a Mediterranean-wide interactive tradition (article), La Rosa Enflorece (lyrics & translation)

Leadership in Medieval al-Maghreb, Part II: Amazigh Leadership & Legitimacy

April 25th, 2023 — I previously differentiated the Arab-influenced ruling structures of medieval North Africa. But — how did those leadership structures play out in the areas where my persona would've lived (Fes, Morocco), and how did they gain legitimacy of rule when implementing novel leadership structures? 

Before the Amazigh dynasties: The Rāshidūn Caliphate conquered Egypt by 642 CE, and they commenced spreading across the Libyan coastline through 661 CE. The Umayyad Caliphate then spread across the Maghreb after that, collapsing in the mid-8th century in every region except for Spain, where the remaining Umayyads formed the Emirate of Cordoba. This emirate was so successful that it inspired the model for subsequent rulers in the Muslim West. Contemporaneously in the Maghreb, there were multiple, non-universal imamates that were usually centered on specific cities and supported by select, regional tribes. In the 9th century CE, the next iteration of Arab rule (the Abbasid Caliphate) came to power, though they were never fully recognized in the West. Instead, there were two rival caliphates, including: the Fatimid Caliphate in Tunisia, which arose around 909 before transferring to Egypt (972 to 1171 CE); and the Umayyad Caliphate in Cordoba, which was a transformation of the previous emirate. Essentially, once people started claiming they were caliphs in areas other than Baghdad (capital city of the Abbasids), the Umayyad dynasty decided to follow suit with their own caliphate in 928 CE. It should be noted that there was a sharp, sectarian rivalry between the Fatimids and the Umayyads, as the former were Shīʿa Muslim, and the latter were Sunni Muslim, and these two caliphates competed for control over Morocco throughout the 9th & 10th centuries CE.

The Amazigh dynasties: While not the 1st Berber (aka, Amazigh) dynasties, the Almoravids, and Almohads and the Marinids comprised some of the most well-known and influential leaders and scholars of the middle ages. The Imazighen instituted novel leadership structures that were influenced by their personal values & beliefs, and tailored to complement the socio-political realities of tribal leadership in the region.

Establishing legitimacy of rule: Amazigh leaders employed a variety of strategies to claim or earn legitimacy over al-Maghreb. By 1250 CE, there were several, established strategies that garnered a positive response from the local populations:  


So, how did the Marinids specifically gain legitimacy? Because they destabilized the Maghreb during the tumultuous downfall of the Almoravids, the Marinids were sometimes described as "a flood" or "a plague of locusts," even in pro-Marinid sources. They were not seen to be legitimate rulers at first. 

To shore up their legitimacy, they initially claimed to be representatives of the Hafsids in Tunisia, but as this claim was not universally accepted, the Marinids employed several other successful strategies from the list above. They supported chroniclers who rewrote the history of the city of Fes, interweaving their lineage with their capital city. The Marinids described themselves as heirs to the Idrisids, who were Arab and part of the regional aristocracy. And — as the Marinids continued taking over cities, they were increasingly seen as monarchs and less as tribal nuisances. Like the Mamluks in Egypt, the Marinids carefully recorded every raid as jihad in order to continually legitimize their rule. 

Also like the Mamluks, the Marinids are responsible for most of the urban monuments we see today in Morocco, including: politico-military installations, religious structures, and some commercial buildings. They mostly built structures in the palatine cities (Fes, Marrakech, etc.), but they also built new cities next to the established ones. Historians think they did this because they wanted to continue differentiating themselves as the new dynastic force, but it is also possible that they felt the need to hedge their bets with popular support as they fortified their legitimacy of rule. Lastly, it's also possible that they needed space to house their active military troops.

The Marinids also had some trouble establishing legitimacy of rule because they were recent converts to Islam, and they were not seen as having a deep understanding of the faith they practiced. To this end, the Marinids financed and built ribāṭs across their territory which were meant to house and feed holy men. This was probably an attempt by the Marinids to co-opt a popular form of religiosity at the time (maraboutism) to emphasize their piety in the eyes of the people they ruled. In addition to these building projects, Marinid rulers often married Arab women from the line of Muhammed, thereby helping to legitimize themselves among the most religious of their people.

Concluding thoughts: While this is a very brief introduction to the power structures of medieval North Africa, in future posts, I will be providing more detail on Amazigh leaders and scholars, with special emphasis on those who lived during the time of the Marinids.

To learn more: The rise of Islamic empires and states (article), Dr Amira Bennison: Architecture & Design in Medieval Morocco: the building strategies of the Marinid sultans (video)

Chronological list of North African rulers

Leadership in Medieval al-Maghreb, Part I: Kings, Caliphs, Imams, Amirs & More!

April 19th, 2023 — This week, I've been thinking about Arab-influenced leadership structures in medieval North Africa. What's the difference between "caliph," "imām," "amīr," "sulṭān," and "king" (malik)? And which titles were preferred by the Marinids who ruled during the life of my persona? I'll answer these questions in 2 blogs: I will first differentiate the common styles of Islamic leadership, then I'll give details on their implementation in my region of focus. With that, let the differentiation commence:

In the next blog post, I'll take a deeper look at power structures implemented by the three, notable Amazigh/Berber dynasties of north Africa and Andalusia during the medieval period: the Almoravids, the Almohads, and the Marinids. We'll look at the creative ways they devised of claiming and gaining legitimacy among the people they ruled, and I'll explore how each dynasty's personal values and beliefs affected their choice of administrative and sociopolitical structure.

To learn more: The rise of Islamic empires and states (article), Dr Amira Bennison: Architecture & Design in Medieval Morocco: the building strategies of the Marinid sultans (video)

North African Calligraphy & Illumination

April 12th, 2023 — I made this document several years ago to help scribes differentiate North African styles of calligraphy and illumination (CnI) from styles that are more Persian, Turkish, Mughal, or Mongol in style. At times, the differences are quite pronounced; and this makes sense, considering how many thousands of miles North Africa (particularly Fes, where my persona lives) is from Ottoman Turkey, Persia, etc. There are also Andalusian (Spanish) influences included in the associated document, as the expansionist push into the Iberian peninsula came from North Africa.

Tala-Related Illumination Ideas.pdf

...but do they know about "2nd website?"

April 5th, 2023 — This will be my 2nd SCA website. My 1st site, created on Wix, was ambitious, but in retrospect, it looks like it was designed in the 1990s by a noob who got excited by all the special features and borders; so she misguidedly used all of them. I'm going for a much more streamlined UX/UI this time with the hope that it'll be easier for me to update. I've also chosen a free platform to ensure I can stick to it regardless of financial issues. 

I'm looking forward to using this blog to record my ongoing thoughts and projects. 

Screenshot of one of the pages of Tala's old SCA website on Wix, circa 2017-2019.

Medieval North African Philosophy Meme

March 25th, 2023 — Just having a bit of irreverent fun while comparing Maghribi philosophers. With which scholar would you rather study? I would've liked to study with Ibn Rushd or Maimonides.

#philosophy #philosophers #maimonidies #IbnTumart #IbnBattuta #IbnKhaldun #IbnTufayl #IbnRushd #Averroes

Researched meme of 8 scholars associated with medieval North Africa.