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The Abbasids:
the second ecumenical Islamic dynasty (750-1258), were the descendants
of al-`Abbas, the Prophet's uncle, hence the name. |
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Samarra:
the new capital established by caliph al-Mu`tasim in 836 to house
his growing and much-dreaded personal army of Turkish slave-warriors
(mamluks) on the Tigris, 60 miles
north of Baghdad. It developed into a conglomeration of secluded caliphal
palaces and houses for the troops on a grandiose scale and remained
capital until 883 when it was abandoned and Baghdad regained its old
position. |
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Al-`Askar:
A new garrison town established by the Abbasids in 751 north of Fustat
to house their army after they had toppled the Umayyads. It was subsequently
absorbed by al-Fustat which was expanding north away from the river. |
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Ahmad ibn-Tulun:
A Turkish governor sent by the Abbasids who managed through cunning
and superb organization to create a semi-independent principality
in Egypt and parts of Syria. His descendants, The Tulunids, formed
a dynasty that lasted for almost forty years (868-905). |
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Al-Qata'i`
(the wards or the fiefs):
The new settlement built north of Fustat
around the site of the future Citadel of Cairo by Ahmad ibn-Tulun
as his capital. Samarra was probably the prototype for this new settlement.
The center of al-Qata'i` was occupied by Ibn Tulun's palace complex,
his hippodrome, and a stately mosque that still stand today. |
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