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In Our Time

The Abbasid Caliphs

In Our Time

BBC

History

4.69.9K Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2006

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Abbasid Caliphs, dynastic rulers of the Islamic world from the mid eighth to the tenth century. They headed a Muslim empire that extended from Tunisia through Egypt, Syria, Arabia, and Persia to Uzbekistan and the frontiers of India. But unlike previous conquerors, the Abbasid Caliphs presided over a multicultural empire where conversion was a relatively peaceful business. As Vikings raided the shores of Britain, the Abbasids were developing sophisticated systems of government, administration and court etiquette. Their era saw the flowering of Arabic philosophy, mathematics and Persian literature. The Abbasids were responsible for patronising the translation of Classical Greek texts and transmitting them back to a Europe emerging from the Dark Ages. So who were the Abbasid Caliphs and how did they come to power? What was their cultural significance? What factors can account for their decline and fall? And why do they represent a Golden Age of Islamic civilisation? With Hugh Kennedy, Professor of History at the University of St Andrews; Robert Irwin, Senior Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies; University of London; Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

0:04.7

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

0:08.5

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices.

0:18.0

What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

0:24.6

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

0:29.7

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds.

0:36.0

Thanks for downloading the In Our Time Podcast.

0:39.0

For more details about In Our Time and for our terms of use, please go to BBC.co. UK

0:44.3

forward slash radio for. I hope you enjoy the program.

0:48.8

Hello the Abbasi Califfs were the dynastic rulers of the Islamic world between the middle of the 8th and the 10th centuries.

0:55.7

They headed a Muslim Empire that extended from Tunisia through Egypt, Syria, Arabia and Persia

1:00.5

to Uzbekistan and the frontiers of India.

1:03.0

Unlike previous conquerors, the Abbasid Caliphs presided over a multicultural empire

1:08.0

where conversion was a relatively peaceful business.

1:11.0

As Vikings raided the shores of Britain, the Abbasids were developing

1:14.7

sophisticated systems of government, administration and court etiquette. The

1:19.0

era saw the flowering of Arabic philosophy, mathematics and Persian literature.

1:23.0

The Abbasis were responsible for patronizing the translation of classical Greek texts

1:27.5

and transmitting them to Europe, back to Europe emerging from the dark ages.

1:33.2

So who were the Abbasi caliphs and how did they come to power?

1:36.6

What was their cultural significance? What factors can account for their decline and

1:40.4

fall and why did they represent a golden age of Islamic civilization?

...

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