Al-Mansur`s Round City is Completed

Late Edition
“All the
News that’s
Fit to Print!”
VOL X… No. 14
Samarra: Today, sunny,
high 72, low 54,
Tomorrow, cloudy, high
67. Weather map: Pg. 7.
Copyright © The Abbasid Times
SAMARRA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 861
3200 dinars
4650 dinars outside Samarra
Al-Mansur’s
Round City is
Completed
By TAAB AHMADI
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
By PAZIZ ASAD
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 alKhalifa 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, AlMutawakkil 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.
ARTS & STYLE A2
13 Year-Old Luster Artist
POLITICS A2
Abbasids Move Again
Al-Mutasim, selects
Jamilah Ahmad, 13-yearold 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]
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, AlMansur, 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 2,000yard 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
Continue “ROUND CITY” A2
Contact [email protected]
OPINION A3
Formation of the Special Edition
Abbasids Collection Newspaper
Read the Editor’s Note about how the
historical fusion of Abbasid news formed
into this collection of articles.
A2
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 861
13-Year-Old
Selected to Craft
Potteries for
Caliphal Palace
By ABDUL GULER
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
ArchNet
Here are two of Ahmad’s luster painted bowls that captivated the attention of caliph, Al-Mutasim, to begin with.[8]
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
Abbasid Caliphate Moves Again,
Samarra Becomes New Capital
By WAHEED FARRAH
ArchNet
Bab al-'Amma, the formal entrance to Dar al-Khalifa.[9]
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.
is for the best,” said Al-Mutasim.
In addition to needing to move the
capital for the sake of peace and safety, AlMutasim 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.
ArchNet
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 AlMutasim 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.”
Contact [email protected]
Round City
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.
Contact [email protected]
“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]
Continue “SAMARRA” A3
A3
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 861
Editor’s Note: The Formation of
‘The Abbasid Times’
By LAUREN GIL
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.
Contact [email protected]
Works Cited
[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 – Abbasid Period." Islamic Arts and Architecture. http://islamic-arts.org/2011/architecture-of-the-abbasids-iraq-iran-andegypt/ (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
Samarra
“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 AlMutasim’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]
Letters to the Editor
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!
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 750–1258." Zonu. http://www.zonu.com/fullsize-en/2010-01-01-11553/The-Abbasid-Caliphate-7501258.html
- Kaleem Fahmy, Baghdad, 790 A.D. [12]