Al-Abbasiyya ( ar, العباسية, al-Abbāsiyya, the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

place), also known as Qasr al-Aghaliba (, 'the Aghlabid palaces') and al-Qasr al-Qadim (, 'the old palace'), was the first palace city and capital of the

Aghlabid dynasty The Aghlabids ( ar, الأغالبة) were an Arab dynasty of emirs from the Najd Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, ...

, which ruled

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna ( ar, المغرب الأدنى), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia and eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (today's western Libya). It included all of what had previously ...

from 800 to 909. The city was built as a residence by the first Aghlabid emir,

Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab ( ar, إبراهيم بن الأغلب; 756–812) was the first Emir of the Ifriqiya from Aghlabid family (800-812). Origin and early career He was the son of al-Aghlab, a Khurasani who had been a companion of Abu Musli ...

(), in the first year of his governorship, and was named after his suzerain, the

Abbasid caliph The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The family came t ...

. Its construction followed a long period of unrest by the populace of the old capital of Ifriqiya,

Kairouan Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( ar, ٱلْقَيْرَوَان, al-Qayrawān , aeb, script=Latn, Qeirwān ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by th ...

, during the 8th century. To reduce the threat of revolt, the new Aghlabid regime dismantled the walls of Kairouan, but also decided to move the residence of the government to a new location three miles southeast of Kairouan, which became al-Abbasiyya. Al-Abbasiyya was a fully functional city, with baths, inns, markets, and a brick-built

Friday mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.* * * * * * * ...

. Its large

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

even supplied Kairouan with water. In the center of the city, near the palace of al-Rusafa (named after palaces in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

and

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

) was a large square (), where troop reviews took place. The city was walled and had several gates, manned by a special corps of freed slaves. From the outset, a mint for silver and gold coinage, as well as government factories producing

robes of honour A robe of honour ( ar, خلعة, khilʿa, plural , or ar, تشريف, tashrīf, pl. or ) was a term designating rich garments given by medieval and early modern Islamic rulers to subjects as tokens of honour, often as part of a ceremony of appoi ...

and standards were also established in the city. Al-Abbasiyya remained the residence of the Aghlabid emirs until 876/7, when a new palace city,

al-Raqqada Raqqāda ( ar, رقّادة) is the site of the second capital of the 9th-century dynasty of Aghlabids, located about ten kilometers southwest of Kairouan, Tunisia. The site now houses the National Museum of Islamic Art. History In 876, the ni ...

, some miles to the south, was established by Ibrahim II (). The city then declined in importance, although it was still inhabited until the invasion of Ifriqiya by the

Banu Hilal The Banu Hilal ( ar, بنو هلال, translit=Banū Hilāl) was a confederation of Arabian tribes from the Hejaz and Najd regions of the Arabian Peninsula that emigrated to North Africa in the 11th century. Masters of the vast plateaux of th ...

in the mid-11th century.

References

Sources

* * {{New Cambridge History of Islam, volume=1, chapter=The Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, pages=581–621, last=Manzano Moreno, first=Eduardo 9th century in Ifriqiya 800 establishments Capitals in Africa Former populated places in Tunisia Kairouan Governorate Archaeological sites in Tunisia