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Elizabeth A.Sackler Center for Feminist Art

Valada

b. 994/1011, Córdoba, Spain; d. 1091, Córdoba, Spain

The correct spelling of this name is WALLADA BINT AL-MUSTAKFI.

Daughter of Caliph al-Mustakfi of Córdoba (ruled 1023–25), who was assassinated during a rebellion, Wallada inherited a great fortune at the age of thirty that allowed her to live independently. She composed satirical, often caustic verse, much of it dedicated to the poet Ibn Zaydun, with whom she had a legendarily torrid affair. She hosted a vibrant literary salon during Córdoba’s golden age under Islamic rule.