In 1871, Du Locle, the director of Paris Opera-Comique, commissioned a two-act opera from Bizet when, due to expense, he had to abandon the proposed staging of Griseldis. The music combines an almost Wagnerian orchestral coloration with exotic, sensual music that suggests Carmen, accented by the almost Offenbach comic elements of Splendiano's music. Despite all these elements, the combination is a highly original one, though he occasionally excerpted materials from La Coupe du Roi de Thule. Djamileh's characterization is a masterwork, and both her Ghazel song and lament are stunning in their sensuality and theatrical effectiveness, even if the surrounding characters are ciphers.

Largely due to inadequate performers and critics ready to see Wagnerism in any kind of tonal experiments, the opening was a disaster, and the majority of the reviews were merciless. However, Massenet, Reyer, and Saint-Saëns all praised it, the last even writing a poem disparaging its critics.

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