When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty

Amazingly detailed account of events taking place more than 1200 years ago. Very colorful and in some places even a page-turner. The author is very good at noting where the sources are conflicting or may not be trusted.

This book is a fun read that is well written and designed for the interested layman. It never gets bogged down in academic controversies and finds the fun in the blood, sex, and civilization of a truly unique empire. Unfortunately, there were many historical details, however academic this might sound, that I was hungry to learn about and felt continually disappointed at their light treatment, i.e. how Islam was instituted in the occupied countries (or why it succeeded in taking such firm root), what the sources of Arab power were (faith, organization, economics or some combination thereof?), and why the Abbasids produced some of the greatest cultural works that humanity has ever known? While Kennedy makes it clear that he intended to tell interesting stories, I really wanted much more than he provided. As such, it is good popular history, but not dense enough for my taste. The Abbasids took power in a revolution from the Ummayads, who were a group from the prophet Mohammed's tribe but not part of his larger family (the Abbasids were cousins of the Prophet). While we get a lot about the intrigues and military aspects, all anecdotal, there is very little about the religious side of the conflict, particularly in tribal context. The Sunnis and Shiites were not yet quite formed, crucial religious history that I wanted to better understand. Then, the Persians were included as vital allies, at the time of their conversion to Islam, also barely covered in the book. This was thus a badly incomplete picture. It is not even clear why the revolution took hold, beyond bare facts like the Ummayads were unpopular due to their Syrian base. Once power was consolidated, there were some very interesting personalities, such as the shrewd and ruthless Mansur, who established the state's ruling structure with persian viziers and professional army. He is an austere and fascinating figure. Then there is Herun, the ruler in 1000 Arabian Nights, who exemplifies the golden age, though sowed the seeds of civil war that was to lead to the dynasty's downfall 100 years later. They created the Harem and countless other forms that set the standard for all later Islamic regimes, which never equalled their splendor or cultural sophistication and openness. There was even a period of inquiry into the Koran as an historical document, as Greek philosophical influence grew for a brief period. Once again, fun stories, but little hard fact about how the empire was run, why it reached a certain size, why it suddenly became religiously conservative and choked off the development of practical scientific enquiry, and what the foundations of power were. In other words, I wanted more geo-political and social analyses. The fall of the Abbasids came with their inability to provide orderly successions as well as their dependence on Turkish mercenaries. As chaos rose, the provinces rebelled and even the maintenance of the waterways that had made mesopotamia a breadbasket to unique civilizations for 3000 years were allowed to fall into ruin, never again to be revived. Not only was this the passing of Arabs as a global power, but the end of a united Islam, as the Sunni-Shiite split hardened into separate sects and innumerable regional principates arose. Alas, these details are neglected in favor of personal tales of decapitations, torture, and corruption and betrayal - fun stories, but just a surface gloss. Recommended. It is a good starting point, but less than half the history.

This title is the US title of the identical UK-titled The Court of the Caliphs .

The book was quick to read. You get to know about the foundation of Baghdad, and the Caliphs who ruled from their. Though the rule of all the caliphs are not mentioned, but those of Harun, Mamun etc are well explained. I would recommend it, if you want to read quickly what happened during the Abbasid era.

Although the book contained rich information, I found it poorly organised, repetitive, incoherent (at times) and lacked proper historical analysis. I understand the writer wants to reach out to laypersons by narrating "The Abbasid era" in a storytelling format but only manages to make it dull and dry. I felt the writer spent too much time on personal tales, corruption , betrayal and scandals(though some are shocking and interesting at the same time).I expected more on geo-politics and social analysis.It falls a shot by miles in my opinion and I didn't enjoy much except for some personal tales and gruesome politics. This may a good starting book for learning "The Abbasid Era". If you are little or vaguely familiar with this period of history, I recommend you skip this book

This is a popular history written by an academic who is determined not to write yet another history book that is "difficult, problematic, and yes, rather dull" (as Kennedy explains in his forward, p. xx). He succeeds, while making the account as accurate as he can, considering the sources, frequently warning when an account (or accounts) are debatable or dubious. He notes that even the dubious accounts generally have a lot to reveal about what people of the time thought, or how they thought. Most of Kennedy's work covers the Abbasids from the beginning of the Abbasid Revolution in 747 until the killing of Caliph Muhtahdi by his own Turkish soldiers in 869. Other chapters cover consistent or changing themes (e.g. Chapter V "Poetry and Power" or Chapter VII "The Harem"). There are maps of the Abbasid Empire, Baghdad, and Samarra, a chart of the Caliphs from 749-1031, and numerous photographs and illustrations. I read this while taking a class on early Islamic civilization. The other students found it to be an easy, pleasant read. Quibble: My 5-star rating is for adults. Kennedy doesn't avoid the scatological, the salacious, or the bloody e.g. lesbians caught in the moment of passion and decapitated (pp. 177-178). James D. Glick Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN

The Abbysid dynasty witnessed Islam's "golden age" as the Islamic world grew and flowered both economically and socially. Prof. Kennedy has written a great anecdotal history of the region that shows the Abbysid caliphate in all its glory. For me, however, Kennedy's use of anecdotes was a little much. To be fair, Kennedy is well aware of his use of anecdotes, stating that the majority of primary sources from this era *are* anecdotal, and in the spirit of the age they are used to illustrate larger themes. (The generosity - or frugality or meanness - of a particular caliph for example.) I struggled with this even as I understood why Kennedy chose to do this. The organization of the book was another point with which I struggled. The first third of the book details the political history of the Abbysids from its founding in 750 to the regin of Mu'tadid in 892; his discussion of the civil war between Ma'mun and Amin was excellent. From there, Kennedy topically discusses the Abbysid Near East - the building of the city of Baghdad, court life, the role and importance of poetry, economics. The utility of a topical orgnization like this makes sense, but for me it made some frustrating reading, as I found myself having to reference back and forth to gain a better chronological perspective of what was going on. I give _When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World_ four stars primarily for Kennedy's writing - clearly he intended this book for the lay-person, and he succeeded brilliantly in outlining the importance and relevance of the 150 year reign of the Abbysids politically, socially and economically. In brief, the Abbysids standardized Islam, encouraged the development of the four major legal interpretations of shari'a, and made Islam (politically and intellectually) an inheiritor of classical Greek, Latin and Persian knowledge. Recommended for those with a specific interest in the region or the time.

This book was a good blend of accurate history and interesting writing. As a professor of History I found this a good overview of the court life of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, while holding the readers interest. It is not the most uniquely original in it's analysis, but it is much easier to access and understand than most historians who seem to write for each other-not the public. If you are looking for such a blend, this is a good book for court life of that era. Be sure to read the introduction, where the author explains his strengths and weaknesses, so that you can accept the work for what it is, and not what you might wish it to be.