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Hello, almost 15 centuries ago, Antara Ibn Shadad was fighting on the Arabian Peninsula

and composing poems he hoped would long outlast him and they have.

He stands out not only for his military excellence but for his story.

He was born to an Ethiopian slave and a powerful knight and was himself a slave until he won

his freedom in battle.

When Islam arrived later and the Arabic language spread, he became famous as the Great Warrior

poet, a model for others and the inspiration for the mighty epic of Antan Abla which is

still being recited today.

We meet to discuss the poetry of Antara Ibn Shadad, a James Montgomery, Sir Thomas Adams

professor of Arabic at the University of Cambridge, Marley Hammond, senior lecturer in Arabic

popular literature and culture at Sowers University of London and Harry Munt lecturer in

medieval history at the University of York.

James Montgomery, let's separate the myth from the history.

What do we know about the man himself?

Antara Ibn Shadad was a character who created an enormous legend around himself.

It's very difficult to untangle the legend from the historical figure but most versions

of the legend converge around certain key points.

...