Great Caliphs

Amira K. Bennison is Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge. A regular panelist on Radio 4's 'In Our Time', she has contributed essays and articles to many books and journals, and is the author of 'Jihad and its Interpretations in Pre-Colonial Morocco' (2002).

• AcknowledgementsNote on transliterationList of MapsList of FiguresChapter 1 IntroductionChapter 2 A Stormy Sea: the politics of the ‘Abbasid caliphateThe making of an empireThe Umayyads: Islam’s first caliphal dynastyThe rise of the ‘AbbasidsThe early ‘Abbasid caliphateThe Samarran interludeThe Shi‘i centuryThe Saljuq sultanate and the ‘Sunni revival’The Crusades and the twilight of the caliphateChapter 3 From Baghdad to Cordoba: the cities of classical IslamArab urbanism at the dawn of IslamThe first Muslim townsUmayyad urbanism‘Abbasid imperial cities and their imitatorsProvincial cities in the ‘Abbasid ageChapter 4 Princes and Beggars: life and society in the ‘Abbasid AgePeasants and countryfolkThe people of the cityWomen and childrenThe religious minoritiesBeggars and trickstersChapter 5 The Life Blood of Empire: trade and traders in ‘Abbasid timesRoutes and commoditiesMerchants and pilgrimsTrade facilitiesChapter 6 Baghdad’s ‘Golden Age’: Islam’s scientific renaissanceThe foundations of Islamic learningThe flowering of knowledge under the ‘AbbasidsThe ‘Abbasid translation movementTranslations, translators and scientistsKnowledge and science after the translation movementChapter 7 The ‘Abbasid LegacyBibliography Index

'An engaging synthesis of much recent scholarship on medieval Islamic society and culture which fills a significant gap in a literature dominated by histories of politics and religion.' - Times Literary Supplement; 'Offers a compelling yet nuanced understanding of the civilization of the 'Abbasid Empire. A wonderful book.' - Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History, Queen Mary, University of London; 'Bennison fashions a smooth, expository narrative, drawing back the curtain on medieval Islamic society by a mix of lively anecdotes, illuminating references to modern practices, striking comparisons with the more familiar medieval West, well-judged and pithy generalizations and gobbets of medieval texts that instantly bring long-dead people to life. There really is something here for everyone.' - Robert Hillenbrand writing in The Middle East in London