Harun al-Rashid
Harun al-Rashid ( Arabic : هارون الرشيد }; Hārūn ar-Rashīd ; English: Aaron the Upright, Aaron the Just , or Aaron the Rightly Guided ) (17 March 763 or February 766 – 24 March 809) was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph . His rule encompassed modern Iraq . His actual birth date is debated, and various sources give dates from 763 to 766. He ruled from 786 to 809, and his time was marked by scientific , cultural and religious prosperity. Since Harun was intellectually, politically and militarily resourceful, his life and the court over which he held sway have been the subject of many tales: some are claimed to be factual but most are believed to be fictitious. The family of Barmakids which played a deciding role in establishing the Abbasid Caliphate declined gradually during his rule. His Life [ edit ] Hārūn was born in Rey . Hārūn was strongly influenced by the will of his mother in the governance of the empire until her death in 789. Hārūn became caliph when he was in his early twenties. O.
House of Wisdom
This article is about the medieval Abbasid Library, Baghdad. For the ancient Fatimid university see Dar al-Hikmah. Scholars at an Abbasid library. The House of Wisdom (Arabic: بيت الحكمة; Bayt al-Hikma) was a library, translation institute and academy established in Abbasid-era Baghdad, Iraq.[1] It is considered to have been a major intellectual hub during the Islamic Golden Age. During the reign of al-Ma'mun, astronomical observatories were set up, and the House was an unrivaled center for the study of humanities and for science in medieval Islam, including mathematics, astronomy, medicine, alchemy and chemistry, zoology and geography and cartography. History[edit] Foundation and origins[edit] The earliest scientific manuscripts originated in the Abbasid Era. In 750, the Abbasid dynasty replaced the Umayyad as the ruling dynasty of the Islamic Empire, and, in 762, the caliph al-Mansur (r. 754 – 775) built Baghdad and made it his capital, instead of the old Damascus. Under Al-Ma'mun[edit]
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate (Arabic: الخلافة العباسية / ALA-LC: al-Khilāfah al-‘Abbāsīyyah), was the third of the Islamic caliphates to succeed the Prophet Muhammad. The Abbasid dynasty descended from the Prophet's youngest uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE). They ruled as caliphs from their capital in Baghdad, in modern Iraq, after taking over authority of the Muslim empire from the Umayyads in 750 CE (132 AH). The Abbasid caliphate first centered their government in Kufa, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, north of the Persian capital city of Ctesiphon. The choice of a capital so close to Persia proper reflects a growing reliance on Persian bureaucrats, most notably of the Barmakid family, to govern the territories conquered by Arab Muslims, as well as an increasing inclusion of non-Arab Muslims in the ummah. Rise[edit] Coin of the Abbasids, Baghdad, Iraq, 765. Power[edit] These fissures in their support led to immediate problems. Islamic Golden Age[edit]
Science in the medieval Islamic world
Science in the medieval Islamic world (also known, less accurately, as Islamic science or Arabic science) is the science developed and practised in the Islamic world during the Islamic Golden Age(c. 750 CE – c. 1258 CE). During this time, Indian, Asyriac, Iranian and Greek knowledge was translated into Arabic. These translations became a wellspring for scientific advances, by scientists from the Islamic civilization, during the Middle Ages.[1] Scientists within the Islamic civilization were of diverse ethnicities. Most were Persians,[2][3][4][5] Arabs,[4] Moors, Assyrians, and Egyptians. Science in the context of Islamic civilization[edit] The term Islam refers either to the religion of Islam or to the Islamic civilization that formed around it.[13] Islamic civilization is composed of many faiths and cultures, although the proportion of Muslims among its population has increased over time.[14] The religion of Islam was founded during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Siege of Baghdad (1258)
Hulagu had begun his campaign in Iran with several offensives against Nizari groups, including the Assassins, whose stronghold of Alamut his forces seized. He then marched on Baghdad, demanding that Al-Musta'sim accede to the terms imposed by Möngke on the Abbasids. Although the Abbasids had failed to prepare for the invasion, the Caliph believed that Baghdad could not fall to invading forces and refused to surrender. Hulagu subsequently besieged the city, which surrendered after 12 days. During the next week, the Mongols sacked Baghdad, committing numerous atrocities and destroying the Abbasids' vast libraries, including the House of Wisdom. Baghdad had for centuries been the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, the third caliphate whose rulers were descendants of Abbas, an uncle of Muhammad. In 1257, Möngke resolved to establish firm authority over Mesopotamia, Syria, and Iran. Persian painting (14th century) of Hülegü's army besieging a city.
The Great Caliphs: The Golden Age of the 'Abbasid Empire - Amira K. Bennison
