The Abbasid Times

Al-Mansur’s Round City is Completed

BAGHDAD (762 A.D.) – When the aftermath of a bad breakup looms in the air, all one can hope for is a new start – which is exactly what the Abbasid caliphate resorted to after “breaking up” with the Umayyads and establishing their supremacy in the region. Though Damascus served as a prosperous economic location and was a expedient distance from religious powerhouses, Medina and Mecca, Al-Mansur, the new Abbasid caliph, felt it would be disastrous to stay in the former Umayyad capital.[2] “It obviously served the Umayyads well while they could hold on to power, but we are a new force to be reckoned with and deserve our own capital to start our own administration,” Al-Mansur said. He also said their capital needed to be close to Persia, where there is a strong Abbasid foundation, and any hopes for future conquests would be found in the east towards Central Asia.[5] Thus there was the birth of Baghdad, otherwise known as Madinat-as-Salam, or “The City of Peace.” The strategic location of the city remained one of the strongest facets of its existence. Al-Muqaddasi, a renowned geographer in that region, advised Al-Mansur that the city should be amidst the four districts of Buk, Kalwadha, Katrabbul, and Baduraya. “The city shall be safe standing between all these streams, and enemies will not reach except it be by a boat or by a bridge,” he said.[5] Along with the strategic positioning of the city, Al-Mansur structured the 2,000-yard long city to be virtually impenetrable with a double wall, four gates, and a circular border that rounded the Sarat Canal.[6] Al-Mansur employed over 100,000 men from Syria and Mosul to Persia and Babylonia to construct his round city. “I remember thinking with that much work going into it, this city will definitely

Al-Mutasim, selects Jamilah Ahmad, 13-year-old luster paint artist, to decorate his new palace with her art.[8]

Once more, the Abbasid caliphate needs change and forms a new capital, this time in Samarra.[14]

Read the Editor’s Note about how the historical fusion of Abbasid news formed into this collection of articles.

VOL X… No. 14 Copyright © The Abbasid Times SAMARRA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 861 4650 dinars outside Samarra 3200 dinars

Late Edition Samarra: Today, sunny, high 72, low 54, Tomorrow, cloudy, high 67. Weather map: Pg. 7.

“All the News that’s Fit to Print!”

The Great Mosque of Samarra in its finished form spans 38,000 square meters, and is currently the largest mosque in the world.[3] ARTstor

16 Years Later, Samarra Has a Mosque

SAMARRA (852 A.D.) – With a palace comes a mosque. That’s how it works, right? Samarra had not been whole without its mosque for the past years, and after 16 years of since the establishment of the capital, the city is blessed with the completion of the world’s biggest mosque to date, measuring at approximately 38,000 square meters.[1] “I am beyond ecstatic about finishing the mosque. It does great good for the Abbasids and leaves a legacy as Dar al-Khalifa did for my father, Al-Mutasim,” said current caliph, Al-Mutawakkil. There are 44 semi-circular towers with 28 windows that surround the building, as well as 16 gates from which one could enter it, and a mihrab, adorned with gold mosaics and carved stucco embellishments, can be found in the southern wall of the mosque. [1] Outside, about 27 meters from the center of the mosque, there is a 55-meter high minaret supported by a spiral ramp that winds five times around. Crowning the top of the minaret lays a round vestibule.[1] “As a lover of architecture, I had a vision for the building, but I never would have thought it would lead to something like this. I hope everyone is satisfied and we can all take pride in this mosque we can call our own,” said Al-Mutawakkil. In addition to the large size, beauty and aesthetic were not overlooked in the

creation of the massive mosque, as great attention was allotted to the glass mosaics that embellish the building. “Although the typical materials like brick and stucco were used, we wanted more for the building, so we were all willing to fund things like more expensive wood, marble panels, and mosaics,” said Maheer Jaber, a generous patron of the Abbasid caliphate.[2] With the contributions from wealthy patrons and the work of many craftsmen, architects, and workers, the mosque stands as the pride of the capital, proving to be a grandiose representation of the Abbasid caliphate. “I still can’t believe the size of the thing – I feel like I have been watching it slowly build and after all these years, the wait was worth it. The building is absolutely mesmerizing,” said Rafat Kalil, a local who has lived in Samarra since the move from Baghdad.[4] In addition to this new mosque, Al-Mutawakkil has plans to build a variety of new palaces and hopes to expand the city to double its size from when he began his reign as caliph.[13] “I believe there is so much potential for this city and I want to fulfill it. With the resources and the will of the people, I hope to execute the plans I have been crafting thus far,” said Al-Mutawakkil.

By PAZIZ ASAD

Contact [email protected]

By TAAB AHMADI

Continue “ROUND CITY” A2

ARTS & STYLE A2 13 Year-Old Luster Artist

POLITICS A2 OPINION A3 Abbasids Move Again Formation of the Special Edition

Abbasids Collection Newspaper

Round City

By ABDUL GULER

A2

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 861

is for the best,” said Al-Mutasim. In addition to needing to move the capital for the sake of peace and safety, Al-Mutasim admitted that a fresh start in a new capital sounded appealing regardless. With the previous legacy of Al-Mansur and Baghdad, he said he had more to offer the Abbasid caliphate with his establishment of Samarra.[10] Of his offerings, one of them is the creation of the newest caliphal palace, to be named Dar al-Khalifa, as the new home for the caliphs and their families. “We have a grand culture in addition to our economic and political strength, and I would like to show this to my people and the world in order to make a tangible lasting legacy,” said Al-Mutasim. The palace will be built from baked and unbaked brick and will contain a variety of elegant embellishment of stucco and marble dadoes, as well frescoed paintings to adorn the halls of the building.[2] In addition to the establishment of luxurious palaces like Dar al-Khalifa, the people have learned to anticipate that with the rule of a new caliph, the possibility of the capital moving is high.

Continue “SAMARRA” A3

13-Year-Old Selected to Craft

Potteries for Caliphal Palace

SAMARRA (843 A.D.) – Staring down at the ceramic bowl clad with a beautiful, intricate floral design in the palms of her hand, Jamilah Ahmad smiled when asked if she had crafted the piece of art.[12] “No, it was my mother,” she said after taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “She taught me everything I know and I could only hope that one day I can craft as beautifully as she did,” she said. Ahmad, only 13 years old and one of the most renowned luster painters in Samarra, had recently been called upon by current Abbasid caliph, Al-Mutasim, to take on the role of decorating various rooms in his palace, Dar al-Khalifa, with her art. Beginning at the ripe age of 10, Ahmad has become the talk of Samarra, instigating quarrels from local art patrons about who will get her next piece of art. With the caliph occupying her time, she will become fully dedicated to endowing his palace with her potteries. “I don’t know how luster painting came to be exactly, but I do know my people are

quite talented in the practice and Jamilah is the best of the best,” Al-Mutasim said. “I want her art and I am more than willing to pay the price for them,” he said. Ahmad said her mother taught her the skills after a few art patrons agreed to pay for her art, allowing her to learn the expensive practice.[7] The luxurious technique that has been seen on various potteries in Al-Mutasim’s palace, Dar al-Khalifa, requires the removal of oxygen from silver and copper oxides, which results in a metallic gleam on the exterior. The inspiration behind luster painted potteries can be traced in the use of tin glaze to create a white body that emulates the lavish Chinese porcelain that only the wealthiest patrons would lust after. [2] “My mother did initially come across a few Chinese ceramics that were imported, which I think inspired a lot of her work,” said Ahmad. Ahmad specializes in stylized floral designs and Kufic script. Her latest project

consists of crafting bowls for Al-Mutasim and his family to eat out of. “I’m not surprised that Ahmad was selected by the caliph to decorate his home because her dainty hands are perfectly steady for any kind of Kufic script that Al-Mutasim would want in his art,” said Hashmat Karam, another celebrated luster painter in Samarra.[2] “Who knows, I’m sure more than anything, Al-Mutasim would love to eat out of a bowl that looks like pure gold since using tableware of that sort is out of question,” he said. Ahmad will live in the caliphal palace with her own workplace in order to increase the productivity and quality of her work. “I still can’t believe this is happening, I feel so lucky and can’t thank Al-Mutasim enough for the opportunity,” said Ahmad. “In the end, I just hope to make my mother proud – she’s the one person who has supported through the thick and thin.”

Here are two of Ahmad’s luster painted bowls that captivated the attention of caliph, Al-Mutasim, to begin with.[8] ArchNet ArchNet


Abbasid Caliphate Moves Again, Samarra Becomes New Capital

By WAHEED FARRAH

SAMARRA (836 A. D.) – As a ruler, the more important thing is keeping the people safe and happy. And for Al-Mutasim, that meant moving the capital once more – from Baghdad to Samarra. Though Baghdad had served as the capital of the Abbasid caliphate for less than a century, Al-Mutasim felt the conflict occurring between the local population and his palace troops was overwhelming and needed to be addressed. So just about 60 kilometers up the Tigris River, he established Samarra as the new capital.[1] “What was I to do when conflict is looming at every direction? I did what I needed to as a leader and truly believe this is for the best,” said Al-Mutasim.

be a beauty,” said Adeelah Din, a 12-year resident of Damascus. “Although I love my home, my family and I will likely move to Baghdad when it’s finished – it seems like what’s safest and best for our family,” she said. With the four gateways in the main wall made of iron that take a large group of men to simply open, the city is safe for the beginnings of a new caliphal dynasty.[5] “I am satisfied with the ending result of the city and am thankful for all of the craftsmen, architects, and other workers who have contributed to its creation,” said Al-Mansur. “Thought I cannot promise anything, I do believe that with this secure capital, I feel confident that the Abbasid caliphate will be here for the long haul,” he said.


ArchNet Bab al-'Amma, the formal entrance to Dar al-Khalifa.[9]

“If I’m being honest, it seems like sometimes an ego thing with the caliphs just wanting to create something for their own. I mean in this case, we were all thankful to be away from the troops, but especially looking at past events, it’s not like this wasn’t too unexpected,” said Hesam Meskin, who just moved with his family from Baghdad to the new city of Samarra.[12]

Samarra

By LAUREN GIL

A3

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 861

Editor’s Note: The Formation of ‘The Abbasid Times’

CHAPEL HILL (2013 A.D.) – As you may notice, The Abbasid Times is a compilation of a variety of different articles that span a wide period of time. In an effort to explore the relation between “newsworthy” events and the art and architecture that is so very engrained in the Islamic culture, this newspaper was created. I hoped to detail the significance of various events during the Abbasid caliphate and how certain architecture and art affected how the events panned out. When reading the mixture of articles, the goal is to grasp what exactly it was like living in the Abbasid caliphate and how news, art, and culture combine to create the daily life. Just to give you background on myself as the editor, I am sophomore student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill currently studying Islamic Art History in the Age of the Caliphs. Based on extensive research and high technology that allowed me to time travel back to Iraq during the Abbasid caliphate in the eighth and ninth centuries, I was able to interact with a variety of people living in Samarra and Baghdad during various important points in the Abbasid caliphate history and teach people the journalistic skills I have learned during my college career and experience with the Daily Tar Heel. Thus, they were able to write these stellar articles and I got the resources I needed to compile this newspaper. I was able to finish collecting all the articles and put together the newspaper on December 10, 861, right before I was preparing to head back to Chapel Hill.

In context of their research, I have learned just how architecture and art are integrated into people’s lives, as it has a big impact on their culture and daily life. This is why architecture and art can be seen as “newsworthy.” Just as the creation of a new building today would create jobs, it did the same for those living during the building period of various palaces and mosques. Most importantly, I discovered how location is very crucial in the successful ruling of a caliphate, as especially in the Abbasids’ case, multiple caliphs had to move to a new capital simply because the success of the society depended on it. Thus, caliphs were able to craft their own cities with their own buildings and create their own art. The grand nature of art allowed them to exhibit their wealth and power to not only their people, but to other countries in the world. There is both a political and economic context and meaning embedded in various buildings and art pieces, which is something that must be taken into consideration when exploring Islamic history in not only the Abbasid caliphate, but other caliphal periods as well. All in all, I feel extremely lucky to have been able to travel back in time to when the Abbasids lived – how many sophomores in college can say they did that? Teaching journalism skills to the Abbasid people was a rewarding experience and it is amazing to see how knowing how to recognize the newsworthy aspects of events can help you understand history in the context of the more influential events in a time period.


Letters to the Editor

“Isn’t that why they build those opulent palaces to begin with? They want to start something for themselves and it is pretty amazing some of the art that comes out of it,” he said. Dar al-Khalifa is set to have a variety of chambers with tunnel-vaulted ceilings, as well as six halls that lead into a large courtyard with a fountain, and more additions. The tentative finishing date is unknown, but representatives from Al-Mutasim’s architectural team estimate that along with the intricate details and new techniques the caliph wishes to incorporate, the palace will hopefully be complete by 842. Contact [email protected]

Fascinated By the Great Mosque of Samarra…Still I have lived in Samarra through the mosque being built in 849 and finishing in 852, and I believe your article on the Great Mosque of Samarra was fantastic – it truly encompassed the grand nature of its presence, as it is large and overbearing (in a good way, of course).[1] One thing I wish you took note of was the minaret. Named the Malwiya, it is one of my favorite places in the whole city. Did you know that our caliph, Al-Mutawakkil, would sometimes ride a white donkey up the spiraling paths to the top? I believe its uniqueness is something that reminds people of Samarra and how great of a city it is for art and architecture.[2] Greatly due to Al-Mutawakkil, our city has flourished and doubled since his reign, and I truly can appreciate the changes that have been made thus far. - Aashif Malak, Samarra, 859 A.D. [12] Neglecting of Manuscripts As a person big on Kufic scripts, I was a little disappointed to see that you didn’t have any articles about the Abbasid Qur’an, because the manuscripts serve as such great pieces of artwork and have so much history to them. Calligraphers like myself would make copies of the Qur’an in the most beautiful way possible, using refined forms of the Arabic script.[11] Don’t be confused – we had a exact structure of proportions so our scripts were not just a flourishing of Arabic characters. A lot of the Kufic style became distinguishing of Abbasid art and was used for inscriptions on various architectural structures, while inscriptions were often also placed on other artwork pieces such as bowls lavished with luster painting.[7] I truly believe calligraphy is an art that has so much history, especially in the Abbasid time, so you should definitely look into it! - Kaleem Fahmy, Baghdad, 790 A.D. [12]

[1] Durham University. "History of Samarra." History of Samarra. http://www.dur.ac.uk/derek.kennet/history.htm (accessed December 1, 2013).

[2] Khalili, Nasser D.. The timeline history of Islamic art and architecture. London: Worth, 2005.

[3] ARTstor. "Picture of the Great Mosque of Samarra." ARTstor.

http://library.artstor.org/library/welcome.html#3|search|6|All20Collections3A20great20mosque20of20samarra|Filtered20Search|||type3D3626kw3Dgr

eat20mosque20of20samarra26geoIds3D26clsIds3D26collTypes3D26id3Dall26bDate3D26eDate3D26dExact3D26prGeoId3D (accessed December 5,

2013).

[4] nameLab. "find a name, make a name, change a name." Browse Muslim Surnames (Last Names).

http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/browse/origin/muslim (accessed November 20, 2013).

[5] Strange, G.. Baghdad during the Abbasid caliphate from contemporary Arabic and Persian sources,. London: Oxford University Press, H. Milford,

1924.

[6] Bennison, Amira K.. The great caliphs: the golden age of the 'Abbasid Empire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 20092009.

[7] Kane, Bernard. The treasures of Islamic art in the museums of Cairo. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2006.

[8] ARTstor. "Abbasid Images." ARTstor.

http://library.artstor.org/library/welcome.html#3|search|6|All20Collections3A20abbasid|Filtered20Search|||type3D3626kw3Dabbasid26geoIds3D26cls

Ids3D26collTypes3D26id3Dall26bDate3D26eDate3D26dExact3D26prGeoId3D

[9] ArchNet. "Dar al-Khilafa." ArchNet. http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=8031 (accessed October 28, 2013).

[10] Grabar, Oleg. The formation of Islamic art. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1973.

[11] "Islamic Architecture â€“ Abbasid Period." Islamic Arts and Architecture. http://islamic-arts.org/2011/architecture-of-the-abbasids-iraq-iran-and-

egypt/ (accessed November 13, 2013).

[12] "Islamic Names." Harami Web. http://www.dur.ac.uk/derek.kennet/history.htmhttp://hamariweb.com/islam/islamic-names.aspx?s=t (accessed

November 20, 2013).

[13] ArchNet. "Jami' al-Mutawakkil." ArchNet. http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=7595 (accessed October 25, 2013).

[14] "Map of The Abbasid Caliphate 750â€“1258." Zonu. http://www.zonu.com/fullsize-en/2010-01-01-11553/The-Abbasid-Caliphate-7501258.html

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