- ARISTOCRATS & THEIR LIFESTYLES
Most of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphs were no saints and their personal lives very often not above reproach.
Almost all the Emirs of Sindh in the Umayyad and Abbasid periods came from aristocratic families and were closely related to the Caliphs, the Governors and other senior officials. Other Arab administrators who served in various regions of Greater Sindh also came from similar backgrounds. Therefore one would expect their lifestyles to be somewhat similar to that of their fellow aristocrats in the Arab homeland.
There were therefore two facets of the lifestyle of these aristocrats. The public image, for the people at large, was that of the representatives of the religious heads of the Muslim community, the Caliphs, and that of the defenders of the faith. The semi-public and private aspect of the lives of the Arab aristocrats presented a somewhat different picture – a life of luxury and sensuous pleasure.
One of the common cultural events in the semi-public life of the Arab aristocrats was a gathering of poets, in which the poetry recitals mainly took the form of Qasidahs or poetry in which the exclusive subject was showering of praises on the honoured guest. This tradition seems to have been well-ingrained in Arab aristocratic circles. We find that among the many poets who excelled in this form of art in the aristocratic circles of Baghdad and Damascus, there were a number of poets of Sindhi origin.
- REJUVENATION & ENRICHMENT OF SINDHI LANGUAGE
This process of homogenization within Sindh and promotion of interactivity of Sindh with other regions of the vast Umayyad and Abbasid Empires was further aided by the rejuvenation and enrichment of the spoken Sindhi language during the period of Arab rule. During the period of Arab rule spoken Sindhi blossomed as a most vivid medium of oral expression with substantial additions to its vocabulary. Most Arab settlers learnt to speak Sindhi fluently and this process itself contributed to the enrichment of the Sindhi language through incorporation of a large number of Arabic words.
As the Sindhi language continued to acquire greater depth through expansion of its vocabulary, and the number of Sindhi scholars who could read and write Arabic fluently continued to increase, a point of convergence was being approached between spoken Sindhi and written Arabic. The base for the evolution of rejuvenated spoken Sindhi into a full fledged written literary language was thus being firmly established.
All through the period of Arab rule, the Sufi environment in Sindh continued to receive nourishment through increased interaction among Sufis belonging to different regions of the Umayyad and Abbasid Empires. This environment was subsequently nurtured and sustained in the centuries following Arab rule through intense interactions between the Sufis of Sindh and Southern Punjab with those in lands where Arab and Perso-Arab Sufi cultures. It was in this environment that Sindh produced its greatest poets and musicians.
Apart from Umar bin Abdul Aziz the founder of the dynasty, Abdullah bin Umar was probably the most prominent Emir of Mansura. Abdullah is said to have ruled Mansura for almost three decades, during which period the Emirate of Mansura made a lot of progress. Abdullah is also known for his luxurious style of living. The brass door knockers of the gates of his Palace, which have his name inscribed on them, are perhaps the most impressive pieces of artefacts found from this site.
The Arab scholars make special mention of the opulent style of the Emirs of Mansura. They wore a regal dress and turbans studded with precious stones, in a style very similar to the dress worn by contemporary Maharajahs in other parts of South Asia. They moved about in chariots driven by profusely decorated elephants. One of the Emirs owned as many as eighty war elephants, and had the elephants’ bodies fully protected with heavy armour. Elephants were also used as beasts of burden.
- QURAISHITE EMIRS OF MULTAN
As in the case of Habbari Emirs of Mansura, the wealth, sound administrative institutions, and stable socio-economic conditions inherited by the Emirs of independent Multan enabled them to live in luxury and assume a regal lifestyle. Some distance away from the hustle and bustle of the old fortified city of Multan, on the banks of the Ravi River, there was the satellite town of Jandrud. During the Umayyad and Abbasid periods it served as an important cantonment where the Deputy Governors of Multan also resided. Under the Quraishite Emirs of Independent Emirate of Multan, Jandrud continued to serve as a Military Cantonment but the relatively modest residences of Deputy Governors were now replaced by luxurious fortified palaces of the Emirs and the nobility.
