Baghdad. From Its Beginnings to the 14th Century

Description

The present handbook is the result of a conference organized by the editors in Berlin in 2013, enriched by the additional contributions of several colleagues to fill remaining gaps. From the beginning, the aim was to produce an exhaustive volume that would cover all possible themes connected to the urban complex of Baghdad, from its origins rooted in Sasanian Mesopotamia up to the Mongol period, and, thus, to provide the reader with a history of this metropolis and its diverse inhabitants from numerous perspectives. Preface Acknowledgements Notes on Transliteration and Style List of Figures Abbreviations Notes on Contributors 1 Baghdad’s Topography and Social Composition. A Historical Sketch. Jens Scheiner and Isabel Toral Part 1. The Foundation of Madnat al-Salam and Its Legends 2 Legends about the Foundation of a Marvelous City. Isabel Toral 3 Islamic Art and Architecture in Pre-Mongol Baghdad. Bernard O’Kane More-to-Know I: The Foundation of al-Mansur’s Palatial City and Its Horoscope. Johannes Thomann More-to-Know II: Was Madinat al-Salam a Round City? Jens Scheiner Part 2. A Historical Overviewfrom Late Antiquity to the Mongol Period 4 Ctesiphon and Its Surroundings, Precursors of Baghdad. Parvaneh Pourshariati 5 The Early Abbasid Caliphs as Commanders and Constructors. Jens Scheiner 6 Baghdad under Buyid Rule. Nuha Alshaar 7 Baghdad under the Saljuqs. Vanessa Van Renterghem 8 Baghdad under the Late Abbasid Caliphs. Hend Gilli-Elewy 9 Baghdad under Mongol Rule. Michal Biran 10 The Economic Parameters of Baghdad and Its Hinterland. Richard W. Bulliet Part 3. Baghdad’s Neighbouring Empires 11 The Abbasids and the Byzantine Empire. Olof Heilo 12 ‘Abbasid Caliphs and Frankish Kings. Kirill Dmitriev and Klaus Oschema More-to-Know III: Sino-‘Abbasid Relations in the Eighth and Ninth Centuries. Angela Schottenhammer Part 4. The Abbasid Court and Its Legacy 13 Sketches of Court Culture in Baghdad. Letizia Osti 14 City of Poets, Poets of the City. Beatrice Gruendler 15 Prose Writing in Baghdad. An Overview. Isabel Toral More-to-Know IV: A “Golden Age” in Baghdad? Isabel Toral Part 5. Institutions of Learning and Fields of Knowledge 16 Knowledge and Learning in Baghdad. Sebastian Günther More-to-Know V: Medinan Scholars in Early ‘Abbäsid Baghdad. Mehmetcan Akpinar 17 Philosophical and Scientific Learning in Baghdad. Damien Janos Part 6. The Religious Communities 18 The Formation of Sunni and Shï‘ï Traditionalism. Christopher Melchert More-to-Know VI: Rational Theologians. David Bennett 19 The Süfï School of Baghdad. Persons and Teachings. Pavel Basharin 20 Christian Communities in Baghdad and Its Hinterland. Michael Morony 21 Jews in Baghdad during the ‘Abbasid Period. Y. Zvi Stampfer 22 Zoroastrians, Manichaeans and Gnostics in Baghdad and Its Hinterland. Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst Epilogue. Jens Scheiner Appendix: Original Sources Featuring Baghdad. Jens Scheiner Index