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…