For the third time in a row, a son of Harun al Rashid took control of the umma. Al Mutasim is remembered for his close association with the Turkic peoples of the East, an interest supposedly nurtured

Its hard to identify a single aspect of the umma left unchanged by al Mamuns long reign: he had a major impact politically, socially, intellectually, religiously, and beyond. Despite its many impre

Two decades of al Mamuns capable administration led the caliphate to an extraordinary recovery. His return to Baghdad put an end to the chaotic aftermath of the great fitna and his enduring success

Back in Baghdad, al Mamun finally began to play an active role in running the Abbasid state. The five years he spent in Khurasan were rough on the rest of the caliphate, but especially disastrous for

Al Mamuns surprise victory over his brother left him in charge of the entire caliphate. But the conclusion of the great fitna did not bring an end to its miseries: the chaos of war had spread throug

Haroon al Rashid divided his realm among his children, and the young men were quickly goaded into conflict with one another by their advisors. The unexperienced princes found the underlying tensions s

Haroon al Rashid worked towards fool-proofing his succession arrangement more than any other caliph by far: the ceremony he held at Mecca with his heirs swearing to abide by his wishes is more elabora

Due to his father al Mahdis arrangement, Haroon al Rashid endured a traumatic year during which his brother tried to have him removed from the line of succession. Having barely survived the experienc

Royal advisors, court attendants, and other officials began to hold some real political power in the Abbasid caliphate, a development which progressed with every caliph who came after the micromanagin

Now that weve covered Haroon al Rashids foreign wars, we can get started with the messy conflicts which took place within the umma, and within his administration itself. The caliphates distant west