Search

The article argues that al-abarī's History of the Prophets and the Kings provides a free rider-analysis of the decline of Abbasid state power. Al-abarī's historical analysis considers state policy on land tax, and religion as a legal norm related to the social contract between the head of state and the landlords. It is concluded that al-abarī saw the misāa tax system and 'rule of law' as the principal conditions for imperial rule, and that al-abarī's History already provides an answer to modern historians' questions as to why the Abbasid state crumbled, and what role religion played in the political economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The twelfth-century Abbasid Caliphate was riddled with criminal gangs, corrupt officials and shadowy figures who spanned both, with underworld figures such as the notorious Karahanli family able to operate with virtual impunity. In this context, rather than being a fable in which good triumphs over evil, 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves' one of the later narratives of The Arabian Nights, depicts organised crime in Baghdad during the twelfth century and how a more cohesive gang can replace another, using ruthlessness and guile. As such, a close analysis of the tale and also those issues it does not discuss suggests striking continuities between medieval and modern organised crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight sherds of ninth–tenth century ad Abbaesid blue-and-white glazed earthenware, excavated in 1931 at Hira in western Iraq, were analysed using, variously, quantitative wavelength-dispersive spectrometry (WDS) and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) in association with scanning electron microscopes (SEM), and semi-quantitative X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). In order to compare the compositions of the cobalt pigments used, the glazes of seven complete vessels of eighth century ad Chinese Tang blue-and-white sancai were also analysed semi-quantitatively using XRF. The Abbasid wares were shown to have used traditional Mesopotamian alkali–lime glazes applied to calcareous clay bodies. Half the glazes examined were opacified with tin oxide. Three types of blue decoration (i.e., raised; spreading; and flat, non-spreading) were produced using a variety of formulations, including a mixture of cobalt pigment with lead oxide. The sources of the ores used for the cobalt pigments have not been identified. However, the analytical data showed that the cobalt ore used for the Abbasid blue-and-white ware could be distinguished from that used for the Tang blue-and-white sancai by its higher iron content and by the presence of a significant amount of zinc. The use of cobalt-blue decoration on the ninth–tenth century ad Abbasid ware was anticipated in China by eighth century ad Tang blue-and-white sancai wares. However, whether its introduction by the Abbasid potters should be seen as an independent invention that followed the introduction of tin-opacified glazes in Iraq, or whether it was influenced in some way by Chinese originals, is still unresolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims at correcting a misunderstanding or abused subject related to an important historical event. This event is the plunder of Baghdad's Library. According to the common thought, this library was plundered by Mongol soldiers during their entering Baghdad in A.D. 1258. However, when it is examined in detailed, it is found that neither old nor new sources concerning this event did not mention about it. In addition, the narratives that talk about the plunder of Baghdad's Library are not authentic narratives. As a result, this claim is just a tittle-tattle that circulates among the lay people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]