Episode 3 – Arabian Nights Caliph: Harun al-Rashid

Islamic Golden Age (2017)

By Eamon Gearon

Film Review

Earmon devotes this lecture to the life of Harun al-Rashid, the fifth Abbasid caliph depicted in the legendary Arabian Nights (1001 Nights).

Harun al-Rashid, the fifth Abbasid Caliph, was born in 766 AD near Tehran. His mother was a former slave from Yemen and his father Mohammad al-Madi, the third caliph of the Abbasid caliphate. Al-Rashid’s great uncle al-Safāh (from Bactria in Afghanistan) led the revolt against the Umayyad caliphate in 747 (see The Emergence of Islamic Culture) and served as the first Abbasid caliph. Al-Safāh was succeeded by al-Rashid’s grandfather al-Mansour, who was succeeded by al-Madi, who was succeeded by al-Rashid’s brother al-Hadi. At age 21, al-Rashid became caliph after al-Hadi died under mysterious circumstances.

Under al-Rashid’s reign, Baghdad had a population between 800,000 and 1 million, the largest city outside China. Despite the caliphate’s growing territorial control and wealth, al-Rashid was very concerned it lagged culturally behind Persia, China and Byzantium. He especially admired Persian culture and surrounded himself with Persian advisors.

He also established Baghdad’s House of Wisdom, home to a major translation, movement employing scholars fluent in Greek, Persian, Chinese Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin, Assyrian and Syriac to translate classical literature. Al-Rashid engaged other scholars to engage in research in astronomy, astrology, medicine, physics,  mathematics and metallurgy, as well as  Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian to translate religious texts. The researchers developed methods to accurately measure the earth’s circumference, as well as track the calendar dates and time.

The Umayyad dynasty had imported paper making technology from China, and the House of Wisdom produced all manner of algebra, geometry and trigonometry texts, star tables and almanacs (to predict eclipses).

Baghdad’s private sector (wealthy merchants and military leaders) also hired scholars to engage in translation and research.

Al-Rashid experienced numerous revolts during his 23 year reign. In 798 AD the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco broke away from the Abbasid caliphate and in 799 AD the Ahglabid dynasty in Tunisia also achieved independence.

In 798 Charlemagne, king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor sent a diplomatic mission to Baghdad seeking leverage against the Byzantine empire and the Umayyads (in exile in Spain). In 801 and 803 Harun al-Rashid sent delegations to Charlemagne in Aachen (now part of Germany) with numerous lavish gifts, including an elephant and water-powered clock (it would be nearly 500 years before Europeans developed mechanical clocks). A formal alliance between the two never came to pass.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/5756987/575699