Inan (fl. c. 800)
Inan (fl. c. 800)
Arabian singer whose voice caused more than one caliph of Baghdad to pay tens of thousands in gold to hear her sing her own compositions. Born and raised in Yamama, Arabia; flourished around 800.
Inan's life story was similar to many Arabian songstresses. She was a talented slave for whom Harun al-Rashid, the caliph of Baghdad, paid over 30,000 pieces of gold. In modern terms, Inan was very like a top-ranked star signed under contract to a movie mogul. Born and brought up in Yamama, Arabia, she was purchased by Al-Natifi who taught her music. When her fame reached Baghdad, Al-Natifi refused to part with her for less than 30,000 pieces of gold, a price the caliph willingly paid. Harun became deeply infatuated with Inan, causing his wife Om Jafar 's great jealousy. Inan might have fared poorly on Harun's death, but the caliph succeeding him gladly paid an equally high price for her services, and she continued to dominate the court with her songs.
John Haag , Athens, Georgia