The Golden Age of Islam. Beginning in the 8th
century, it was an era of Islamic prosperity, blooming knowledge, and a newfound
focus on the lands of the Middle East. Throughout this time it was the city of Baghdad
that would be birthed as the focal point of the Golden Age, and of globally recognized learning
and progress. Baghdad became a city of 1 million people, countless libraries packed full of
manuscripts and books that were just aching to be studied by scholars from around the world
who flocked to the Muslim capital. One of the most desired attractions to see once these foreigners
arrived would be the Bayt al-Hikma or the House of Wisdom. It was the largest library in the entire
city and served as a remarkable influence for the contemporary advances in artistry, literature,
astronomy, medicine, and more. With Baghdad’s rulers, the Abbasid Caliphate, subsidizing
scholars, scientists, and so forth who wished to come to the city for studies, it seemed that there
was nowhere to go but forward. The Golden Age of Islam was truly a sight to behold. But tragically,
as some say, all good things must come to an end… In Baghdad’s final years of glory, it was
the Abbasid Caliphate that called the city its capital. The Abbasids were the third
Islamic Caliphate to rule the Middle East since the life of the Prophet Muhammad
after overpowering the Umayyad Caliphate in the mid-8th century. Their name derived
from an uncle of the Prophet, named Abbas, and the empire would rapidly grow to reach from
Arabia to the Levant and Syria, North Africa, of course, Iraq, and even farther. The Abbasids
were a formidable force to be reckoned with, but when the Mongols came knocking,
they would be put to an unexpected test… The Mongols were very different than the Abbasids.
Unlike their counterparts, the Mongols were nomadic, pastoral people. They scarcely settled
down anywhere and as a result, instead came into frequent conflict with more settled societies
such as the Abbasid Caliphate. In these clashes, the Mongols were known for a particularly unique
and rather brutal battle strategy. Having been so pesky as to inspire the construction of the
Great Wall of China, the Mongols were synonymous with many terror tactics, and if anyone ever heard
clashing pots and pans or aggressive rattling of bells, it could quickly be assumed that they were
about to become the next Mongol victim. Though they usually would offer an option of surrender
to local rulers before launching an attack, if this offer was declined, mass destruction
and bloodbaths were what generally followed. And while the Mongols weren’t settlers, they
still liked to conquer land and provide their roaming peoples with more space. Thus, when a man
by the name of Temujin united the Mongols and took the name Genghis Khan, a chain reaction occurred
that would end on the charred soil of Baghdad… When the grandson of Genghis
Khan, Hulagu, rose to power, the Mongol Empire really began to expand. Hulagu
Khan spread his authority through Syria and was working to secure his grip on the lands of the
Ilkhanate of Persia. This initially brought the Mongols into direct conflict with a Shi’ite
group known as ‘the Assassins’, which in time, Hulagu managed to vanquish. His next obstacle,
now, was the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad… Over the years and caliphs, the Abbasids
had sadly begun to weaken both politically and militarily. They had become no strangers
of paying tribute to the Mongols themselves, but the current caliph, al-Mustasim, wasn’t too
concerned about what that might foreshadow. Still, the caliph had already heard rumors of Hulagu’s
goals and focus, but al-Mustasim could not be convinced of the real threat that approached -
in part, due to the advice of his grand vizier. The problem with this grand vizier, however, was
that he is believed to have had his own agenda which flew in the face of his ruler’s. This was
because previously, through grievous acts and decrees passed, the caliph had deeply offended
many of his Shia Muslim subjects - his grand vizier included. It is thus believed by many that
the great advisor to the caliph himself was the one to not only welcome the idea of a Mongol
invasion but in fact, to invite them. Whether this was the case or not is still up for debate,
but what is known for certain is that the caliph, for one reason or another, wildly underestimated
the will and might of the daring Mongols… Al-Mustasim’s first clue that his counterpart
Hulagu was serious should have been when he sent the caliph a letter demanding his and the city of
Baghdad’s surrender. Shockingly, it is said that Caliph al-Mustasim replied with an ultimatum: go
back to where you came from, or besiege this city. The problem was that the caliph believed that the
whole of the Muslim world would undoubtedly come together to defend Baghdad if the Mongols ever
so dared to attack the Abbasid capital. This, he would soon learn, was not true. Thus, on
January 29, 1258, to the awe of the caliph, the Mongols laid siege to the great city of knowledge
and the center of the Islamic Golden Age… The Abbasids had a weakened and poorly
supplied army at the almost ready to face their attackers. Compared to what the caliph
had anticipated, the rest of the Muslim world was lukewarm in its response. And the Mongols
were a warfare marvel. It only took a few days for al-Mustasim to reconsider his earlier attitude
and request to open negotiations with Hulagu. The Mongol Khan denied the caliph’s pleas. When
the Mongols offered a peaceful surrender, it was only a one-time offer, and that one
time had already passed. The siege carried on… On February 10, 1258, Caliph al-Mustasim
unconditionally surrendered. The Mongols accepted, and for the next 3 days, nothing happened.
The anticipation of the citizens of Baghdad grew with each hour, but their anxiety would be
nothing compared to the horrors that awaited them. On February 13, Hulagu and
his men entered Baghdad… The Mongols gave one warning on their way into
the city, and it was given only to the Nestorian Christians, whom Hulagu gave this message: lock
yourselves in your church and do not come out. It was his promise, likely because his own mother and
favorite wife were Nestorian Christians, that if they obeyed, his men would not harm them. For the
rest of Baghdad, however, there was no such mercy. A week of pillage, and bloodshed
followed. Not even the nobles of the city were spared. Roughly 3,000, to be
precise, were executed. As for the caliph, a couple of theories can be
found as to what fate befell him. According to one story, al-Mustasim was imprisoned
in a room of his own gold and treasures, and if the Travels of Marco Polo are to be believed,
Hulagu said to the caliph, “eat of thy treasure as much as thou wilt, since thou art so fond of it”.
It is then believed that al-Mustasim eventually died of starvation. But, this nonetheless
contradicts the other tale which insists that Hulagu believed that the spilling of royal blood
on Baghdad’s soil would bring about catastrophic consequences in the form of natural disasters.
Thus, he had Caliph al-Mustasim rolled in one of his own expensive rugs, as to catch any spillage,
and then trampled to death. Whatever the cause, the last ruler of the Islamic Golden Age and its
capital met his end with the city he called home… The death toll of the entire catastrophe
has been estimated to range from 90,000 to 1 Million including the army
that in vain had defended the city border, and civilian men, women, and children.
Baghdad itself was nearly leveled, and what was left was set ablaze and burnt
to a crisp. It’s said that the River Tigris ran red with blood from the massacre. That is,
until the conquerors began throwing hundreds of thousands of books and manuscripts into
the water. According to eyewitnesses, the Tigris now turned black from the ink of the
priceless texts that would be read no more. The House of Wisdom and all its precious contents,
from this moment on, were a thing of the past… The siege and subsequent destruction of
Baghdad in 1258 was more than a loss for the Abbasids. It was more, even, than
a loss for the Muslim world. In fact, it was a tragic calamity upon the whole of
the world. A golden age, an era of prosperity, knowledge, art, and so much more had come to
an end. There are hundreds of thousands of texts no one again will ever read. Centuries of
learning and progress that never got to be had, at least not in the way they could have been.
The fall of Baghdad was the fall of the center of a growing world and life for people around
the globe who trekked for days on end just to study at its House of Wisdom. And one, that
sadly, too many of us have now forgotten…
