In 10th century Islamic Cordoba, women from a variety of social classes gained acclaim for their intellectual abilities. Some served as astronomers or scribes in the caliphal court. Others, including a group of enslaved women called qiyan (pronounced key-aan), received financial compensation for composing and performing their own poetry for the caliph. Women from both groups gained such acclaim for their intellectual abilities that they were included in the biographical dictionaries that passed information about the most educated or noteworthy men to future generations. Nevertheless, this inclusion by male authors in male-dominated sources was incredibly rare, when it happened at all. Not all women in al-Andalus who would have fit their criteria of erudite accomplishment were mentioned in these sources. This paper argues that the qiyan also should have been classified as what we would now call a mujer sabia or ‘ālima because of the intellectual activities in which they participated. To begin to explore these ideas, I examine what types of sources are most often used to discuss mujeres sabias. I then focus on a well-documented example of this type of woman alongside a less well-documented one, to provide a more complete understanding of who could fall into the category of an ‘ālima and why that category emerged in the Andalusi intellectual tradition. Finally, by considering this case study in the context of the vibrant intellectual activity at the end of the Cordoban caliphate, a more complex definition of a mujer sabia in al-Andalus emerges.

Dr. Claire Gilbert has been absolutely essential to the development of Lauren’s Honors Senior Capstone. She is always willing to read drafts, answer questions, and support Lauren as a person while traveling and completing research of her own. Dr. Gilbert encourages Lauren to pursue research that she is interested in and pushes her to find answers in innovative ways, including using her Spanish skills to more meaningfully engage in the topic. This project would not exist without Dr. Gilbert’s continued guidance and support!