14th-Century Poem Debunked Black Death Myths
Historians from the University of Exeter have uncovered the origin of persistent myths surrounding the Black Death’s swift propagation through Asia. These misconceptions trace back to a singular 14th-century literary work by the poet and historian Ibn al-Wardi, composed in Aleppo around 1348/9.
For generations, accounts of the plague hurtling along the Silk Road, ravaging urban centers and rural areas alike, stemmed from a misinterpretation of this rhyming narrative rather than verifiable historical documentation. Ibn al-Wardi’s creation is a maqāma, a traditional Arabic literary genre characterized by a roving trickster figure, which was never intended to serve as factual reporting but was erroneously regarded as an eyewitness chronicle of the plague’s continental traversal.
A Fictional Tale Mistaken for Historical Fact
Contemporary genetic studies indicate that the Yersinia pestis bacterium, culprit of the Black Death, likely emerged in Central Asia. Nevertheless, certain researchers, swayed by Ibn al-Wardi’s vivid depiction, continue to endorse the notion that the plague journeyed from Kyrgyzstan to the Black and Mediterranean seas in under a decade, igniting the devastating pandemic that engulfed Western Eurasia and North Africa by the late 1340s. Dubbed the “Quick Transit Theory,” this perspective hinges predominantly on a literal reading of the poet’s imaginative prose.
The latest research contests this hypothesis, casting doubt on the plausibility of the pathogen covering over 3,000 miles in mere years while sparking such extensive devastation from 1347 to 1350.
The Mischievous Wanderer and Enduring Misinterpretation
Within his maqāma, Ibn al-Wardi anthropomorphizes the plague as a playful roamer delivering doom sequentially across regions during a 15-year odyssey. The narrative commences east of China, progresses via India, Central Asia, and Persia, culminating at the Black Sea, Mediterranean basin, Egypt, and the Levant. Subsequent inclusion of excerpts in his historical treatises led many to presume its authenticity.
Investigators Muhammed Omar, a doctoral student in Arab and Islamic Studies, and Nahyan Fancy, an expert in Islamic medical history at the University of Exeter, pinpoint the mix-up to the 15th century. At that time, Arab chroniclers, followed by European scholars, began interpreting the piece as a straightforward record of the Black Death’s dissemination.
The Pivotal Text Weaving Historical Myths
Professor Fancy elaborated: “Every pathway to the inaccurate portrayal of the plague’s regional expansion circles back to this solitary document. It sits at the heart of a vast network of legends concerning the Black Death’s migration.
“The full trans-Asian progression of the plague, including its precedence in Egypt over Syria, has perpetually relied—and still does—upon Ibn al-Wardī’s isolated Risāla. This account lacks corroboration from contemporaneous records or fellow maqāmas. Penned merely to underscore the plague’s mobility and its deceptive nature, it demands non-literal interpretation.”
Understanding the Maqāma’s Cultural Significance
The maqāma form arose in the late 10th century, surging in popularity from the 12th century. In the 14th century, Mamluk authors in the Islamic realm prized this style, with numerous plague-related compositions preserved in global libraries. Designed for oral performance or single-session recitation, these works captivated audiences.
Ibn al-Wardi’s Risāla ranks among at least three plague maqāmas from 1348-49. This analysis underscores their value not in mapping the epidemic’s path, but in illuminating medieval strategies for grappling with profound grief and disruption.
Redirecting Attention to Prior Epidemics
Acknowledging the fictional essence of Ibn al-Wardi’s opus enables historians to pivot toward overlooked prior outbreaks, like those afflicting Damascus in 1258 and Kaifeng in 1232-33. This opens avenues to examine communal recollections of these events and their impact on subsequent Black Death perceptions.
Human Resilience Through Creative Expression
Professor Fancy further noted: “Such literary endeavors illuminate how artistic expression might have offered agency and solace amid mass mortality, akin to the surge in cooking or creative pursuits during the Covid-19 era.
“While these maqāmas fall short on precise epidemiological details, they excel in revealing the human experience amid catastrophe.”
