2/23 Mon: The Abbasid Revolution and the Round City
2/25 Wed: Harun al-Rashid and good times
2/27 Fri: The Samarra period and imperial excess
Readings:
• Kennedy, The Prophet… Chapters 5 and 6
• Robinson, C. ed. 2001. A Medieval Islamic City Reconsidered: An interdisciplinary Approach to Samarra. Oxford U. Press (Introduction)
• Al-Jahiz 1999 early 9th c Avarice and the Avaricious. Trans. Jim Colville. Introduction and selections
• Al-Jahiz. “On the Merits of the Turks” excerpted from The Life and Works of Al-Jahiz. Trans. Charles Pellat.
• Ibn Miskawaih. Selection from The Experiences of the Nation.
Some Websites:
Class 15_The Rise of the Abbasids.pdf