Monthly Archives: December 2021

Downfall of a Family: Who was Jafar? 803

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Ruth

The Barmakids were the wealthiest, most important family during early Abbasid years. “Barmak” may have been a hereditary title for the guardians of a Buddhist shrine in Balkh. The family converted to Islam very early and became part of the … Continue reading →

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Early Abbasid Queens, 754-809

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Ruth

The early Abbasid period was a time of unimaginable wealth. The empire was at its fullest extent, although tax and tribute from al-Andalus had dried up with going independent under Abd al-Rahman the Umayyad. Still, gold and jewels rolled in … Continue reading →

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Shi’ites: Imam Kazim, 745-799

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Ruth

Let’s review the Shi’ite Imam line that’s going on outside the spotlight, all this time. Ali is counted as the first Imam, since he claimed that title when he became Caliph—saying that “Caliph” had become corrupt, so he would be … Continue reading →

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Baghdad of Legend: the Arabian Nights

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Ruth

At the Round City’s House of Wisdom, the first work was to collect and translate the Persian books sitting in local libraries. We don’t know at what point they began to translate the Persian storybook that became the most successful … Continue reading →

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Baghdad: Paper Technology

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Ruth

Around 750, just before the Umayyads were overthrown in Damascus, you may remember that there was a battle at the far eastern front. It was like any other battle, but it was so close to the Chinese border that the … Continue reading →

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Baghdad: the House of Wisdom

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Ruth

Baghdad’s Round City featured a large building that was called, at first, The Bookstore. It was modeled after the Persian Empire’s library in Ctesiphon, but its chief purpose was to transfer civilization into the Arabic script of the recently-literate nomads. … Continue reading →

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Back to Baghdad: Writing Arabic

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Ruth

During the Abbasid Caliphate’s Golden Age, the Arabic script was reformed. The Abbasids moved their capital from Damascus, a Semitic (Aramaic) language center, to Baghdad in Persia. Arabic became a second language for most of its speakers in Baghdad, people … Continue reading →

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Charlemagne’s Actual Trip to Spain, 777-8

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Ruth

In the “Song of Roland,” the first premise is that Charlemagne has spent seven years campaigning across Spanish Andalusia, taking back territory from the perfidious Saracens. The famous battle in which Roland loses his life takes place in the mountain … Continue reading →

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The Song of Roland, 950

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Ruth

We’re jumping ahead by two centuries just for a moment, to touch on literature. The “Song of Roland” was the most popular epic of its time. Composed by a Frankish minstrel named Turoldus, the poem first appeared in written form … Continue reading →

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The King in the North, 751-71

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Ruth

While Abd al-Rahman was a fugitive in North Africa, power shifted decisively in Europe. The last major Germanic barbarian invasion came from the east and had settled in the Italian Alps with a capital at Pavia. The Langobards, or Lombards, … Continue reading →

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