Walid and His Friends An Umayyad Tragedy

This account of the life and leisure of the Umayyad Caliph Walid II ispresented as a sequel to descriptions published in 1959 and 1978 of his countryresort discovered at Khirbat al-Mafjar in the Jordan Valley.Eccentricities in the behaviour of Walid II as Caliph and heir apparentcontributed lamentably to the fall of the Umayyad dynasty. Hamilton finds inthe building of al-Mafjar a likely setting for particular episodes in Walid'slife, as well as some curious reflections in the architecture of recognizableidiosyncrasies in his character. Discussion of these points is contained withinan account of Walid's career and fortunes, including the difficult relationshipwith his uncle Hisham, up to his brief caliphate and then assassination. Thestory closes with a reminiscence, in translation, of a few of the verses forwhich Walid achieved a posthumous reputation. The architectural study isaccompanied by eight new line drawings and twelve photographicillustrations.Hamilton, Robert is the author of 'Walid and His Friends An Umayyad Tragedy', published 1988 under ISBN 9780197280119 and ISBN 0197280110.