This book attempts to open a window for Hebrew-speakers to Baghdad and the Arabic culture of the Abbasid period, 1,200 years ago, at the height of its flowering and glory. It does this by means of the period’s most distinctive representative, the poet Abu Nawas, who became an invaluable part of Arabic culture.

The poems in this anthology were selected from among 1,000 poems attributed to Abu Nawas, which were published in various collections by a variety of editors.

This is the first book of its kind and we hope that it will contribute another means, albeit modest, for getting to know our Arab neighbors’ culture.