Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah
First Abbasid caliph, in power after the revolution of 750.
Era 3 of 12 · Station three
The Abbasids & the Golden Age
In 762 CE a caliph marks out a round city on the west bank of the Tigris and names it Madinat al-Salam, the City of Peace. The world knows it as Baghdad. Over the next five centuries it fills with scholars, translators, merchants and booksellers, until the Mongols arrive in 1258.
Who led, and when
Six who shaped the era
The rulers who shaped the era, in order.
Al-Mansur
Founded Baghdad in 762 and built it as a round city.
Harun al-Rashid
His court in Baghdad was famed far beyond the caliphate. A patron of scholars and poets.
Al-Ma'mun
Patron of the House of Wisdom and of the translation of books into Arabic.
Al-Mu'tasim
Moved the court to a new city, Samarra, around 836.
Al-Musta'sim
Last Abbasid caliph in Baghdad. The city fell to the Mongols in his time.
The lands of the era
From Iraq to Arabia
The Abbasids ruled from Iraq, at the crossing of trade routes between the Mediterranean, Persia and India. In time many provinces gained their own governors and dynasties, though they still honoured the caliph in Baghdad.
- IraqBaghdad on the Tigris, the capital
- Persia and KhurasanAdministrators, scholars and soldiers
- Syria and EgyptRuled from Baghdad, later more independent
- Central AsiaBukhara and Samarkand, centres of learning
- ArabiaMakkah and Madinah, the holy cities
This map is a simple sketch to help you picture where events took place. Positions, distances and borders are approximate, so please use it for reference only, not as an accurate map.
At a glance
The era in six facts
The years, the people, the places, and what the era left behind.
- Years
- 750–1258 CE750–1258 CE, which is 132–656 AH, a span of about five centuries from revolution to Mongol siege.
- Rulers
- The Abbasid caliphs, descendants of al-Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ.
- Capital
- Baghdad, founded in 762, with Samarra as the seat of the court from around 836 to 892.
- Lands
- Iraq, Persia, Syria, Egypt, Arabia and Central Asia at first, later divided among many dynasties.
- Turning points
- The revolution of 750, the founding of Baghdad, the translation movement under al-Ma'mun, the Seljuks in 1055 and the Mongol sack in 1258.
- Legacy
- Algebra, medicine, optics, paper and great libraries. Their work passed on to later scholars in the Muslim world and in Europe.
Key moments
Six stops on the road
- 1The Abbasid revolutionThe Abbasids overthrow the Umayyads, and a new dynasty begins.
- 2Baghdad is foundedAl-Mansur lays out the Round City on the Tigris.
- 3Harun al-Rashid becomes caliphHis reign is remembered for the splendour of the court and the growth of learning.
- 4The reign of al-Ma'munScholars gather in Baghdad, and the translation of Greek, Syriac, Persian and Sanskrit works flourishes.
- 5The Seljuks enter BaghdadSeljuk sultans take real power, and the caliph keeps his religious standing.
- 6The fall of BaghdadThe Mongols take the city, and the caliphate in Baghdad comes to an end.
The chapters
Read the era, in six parts
Six short chapters take you through the era in order.
- 01The revolution and the Round City of Baghdad750–775The Abbasids overthrow the Umayyads, and al-Mansur founds a circular capital on the Tigris.Read
- 02Harun al-Rashid's Baghdad786–809A court of poets and scholars, and a city of markets and merchants.Read
- 03The House of Wisdom and the translation movement813–833Books from Greek, Syriac, Persian and Sanskrit are translated into Arabic under al-Ma'mun.Read
- 04Mathematicians, physicians and the science of light9th–11th centuriesAl-Khwarizmi's algebra, the medicine of al-Razi and Ibn Sina, and Ibn al-Haytham on light.Read
- 05The great jurists and hadith scholars8th–9th centuriesThe four imams of law, and the scholars who gathered and checked the hadith.Read
- 06Seljuks, a divided caliphate and the end in 1258Seljuk sultans hold real power, and the Mongols end the caliphate in Baghdad.Read
Rihla · a journey to play
A journey for this era is on the way
Walk this era in Rihla, Journey 2: The House of Wisdom, which takes you through Baghdad in the 9th century.
Sources
Sources for this era
The books, lectures and maps behind this page are listed on our Sources page.
- Classical history
- Modern study
- Lecture series
- Map & atlas
How we choose sources
Classical histories first, checked against trusted modern scholarship. Approximate dates carry a “c.”
Athar’s sources