The first collection of such writings, which make no pretense of being factual, was the Maqāmāt of al-Hamadhānī (Hamadhānī, al-) (d. 1008). It consists mainly of picaresque stories in alternating prose and verse woven round two imaginary characters. The genre was revived and finally established in the 11th century by al-Ḥarīrī (Ḥarīrī, al-) of Basra (Iraq), whose Maqāmāt, closely imitating al-Hamadhānī's, is regarded as a masterpiece of literary style and learning.