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Author Archives: Ruth
Arabic Numerals in the 9th Century
Our digital numeral system came first from India, but spent a long time as the dominant system in the Arabic kingdoms before entering Latin and Europe. The numbers are Arabic by adoption, Indian by birth. The Jain sect in India … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids, Literature
Tagged al-Khwarizmi, algebra, India, numbers
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The Book of Ingenious Devices, 850
Baghdad’s House of Wisdom produced a collection of all of the mechanical engineering devices known at that time. These devices were collected from China, India, Persia and Greece. We aren’t sure if the pictures in “The Book of Tricks” (or … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids, Literature
Tagged Banu Musa, machines
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The Last Shi’ite Imams, 868-74
The tenth Imam, al-Hadi, lived through six Abbasid Caliphs. He moved with his young family to Samarra, where his sons grew up. They lived in a heavily military neighborhood, not by their choice, but this location gave his son the … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids
Tagged Major Occultation, Shi'ites, the Mahdi
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Anarchy and the Siege of Baghdad, 861-870
The sons of the Turkish cabal who had held power under Mu’tasim were now back in power and planned to remain so. They needed a frontman to be the Caliph, but the individuals they chose didn’t live long. There were … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids
Tagged Baghdad, civil war, Samarra
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Caliph Mutawwakil Reverses Course, 847-61
Prince Ja’far, the 26-year-old brother of the Caliph who had just died, was chosen by the inner circle of the late Caliph’s advisors. They chose a regnal name for him: al-Mutawwakil ala-llah, the Reliant on God. History knows him as … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids
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Caliph Mamoun’s Heir: Caliph Mu’tasim, 833-42
Caliph Mamoun died pretty suddenly after a pleasant summer day of sitting on a river bank with his brother, chatting and eating some dates. All of a sudden, he had a fever. Other got sick too, but the Caliph died … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids
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The Child Prodigy Imam, 811-835
When Imam Reza died while traveling with Caliph al-Mamun from Merv to Baghdad, it was unclear to some Shi’ites who was his successor. He had one son, and only one, who had been born when he was well over 40. … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids
Tagged Baghdad, Imam, Medina, Shi'ites
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Battle for the Northern Mediterranean, 831-915
Frankish law always had a problem with inheritance; there’s really no ideal way to manage the inheritance of land. As tribesmen who found themselves ruling a nation, at first they continued their tradition of dividing possessions among a man’s sons. … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids
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Emperor Theophilus and the Arabs, 829-42
During this period, the Byzantine throne had been undergoing its usual turmoil of rebellions and assassinations. Two rising generals married daughters of the top general, then vaulted over him to become, one after the other, Emperors. The second one, curiously, … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids
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Caliph al-Mamoun’s Controversies
At first, Caliph al-Mamoun remained in Merv, at the border of Iran and Afghanistan, which had been his regional seat of power. Among the troubles going on in the west, the Shi’ite descendants of Ali rebelled in various places, starting … Continue reading
Posted in Islam History C: the Abbasids
Tagged Imam Reza, Quran
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