The Perfumed Garden Free PDF

The Perfumed Garden is a classic Arabic manual and a piece of literature. Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Nafzawi probably wrote The Perfumed Garden sometime during the twelfth century somewhere around today’s Tunisia. The book is interesting because of its no-tabu approach, amusing stories, and somewhat naive assumptions about human physiology. The Perfumed Garden lists opinions on how men and women should behave and dress in order to be attractive, it gives advice on sexual techniques and warnings about health, and even recipes to remedy maladies.

From the book:

God has furnished this object with a mouth, a tongue, two lips; it is like the
impression of the hoof of the gazelle in the sands of the desert.
The whole is supported by two marvellous columns, testifying to the might and
the wisdom of God; they are not too long nor too short; and they are graced with
knees, calves, ankles, and heels, upon which rest precious rings.
Then the Almighty has plunged woman into a sea of splendours, of
voluptuousness, and of delights, and covered her with precious vestments, with
brilliant girdles and provoking smiles.
So let us praise and exalt him who has created woman and her beauties, with her
appetizing flesh; who has given her hails, a beautiful figure, a bosom with
breasts which are swelling, and amorous ways, which awaken desires.
The Master of the Universe has bestowed upon them the empire of seduction; all
men, weak or strong, are subjected to a weakness for the love of woman.
Through woman we have society or dispersion, sojourn or emigration.

Download The Perfumed Garden as a free PDF e-book here (106 pages/1.3MB):

The Perfumed Garden