Classical poets
The heir to the throne of the Qinda tribe based on the Arabian Peninsula, Al-Qais chose a life of travel, drinking, fighting-and poetry.
Literary types
Although Europeans of the Middle Ages used Islamic treatises on medicine, geography, mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy, they were not familiar with the original literary works of the Muslim world.
Periods of Islamic literature
The Islamic Empire was ruled by three caliphates: Patriarchal (632-661), Umayyad (661-750) and Abbasid (750-1258).