Meadows Of Gold

Masudi

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136145308
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

First published in 1989. Mas'udi was born in Baghdad about 896 AD, during the Caliphate of Mu'tadid and died in Egypt sometime around the year 956, eleven years after the Buwaihids, a Shi'a dynasty of Iranian origin, had occupied Baghdad and taken control of the Caliphate. His full name was Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husain ibn Ali ibn Abd Allah al-Mas'udi and he was notable as a Muslim historian. His two major works were Meadows of Gold (Muruj al-Dhahab) and the Book of Notification (Kitab al-Tanbih).

INDEX

This index is topical rather than anomastic and the names of some minor characters and places have been omitted. Most identifiable place names are located on the map, the plan of Baghdad, or in the notes.

ABBADA, mother of Ja'far al-Barmaki: connives at his seduction, 116; her poverty relieved, 126

ABBAS AL-ALAWI: dissuades Ma'mun from shedding blood, 214–15

ABBASA, sister of Rashid: married to Ja'far al-Barmaki, 115; tricks Ja'far into consumating their marriage, 116; sends their son to Mecca, 116–17; and to Yemen, 117

ABD ALLAH IBN MALIK AL-KHUZA'I: Rashid's chief of police, 74

ABD AL-MALIK: criticized by Mansur, 23

ABU AL-ATAHIYA: his love for Utba, 43–5; one of his poems moves Harun al-Rashid, 99; cheers Ma'mun, 190; becomes a Sufi, 216; his death, 216; poems, 216; on the death of Alexander, 236

ABU AL-AYNA: and Ibn al-Jassas, 332; saved from drowning, 332; his wit, 332; praises the Barmakids, 333; reasons for not drinking, 333

ABU AL-BAIDA: a good story-teller, 286–7

ABU BAKR IBN AYYASH: prophecies death of Harun al-Rashid, 71

ABU FADL IBN ABI TAHIR: his book A History of Authors, 275; tells a love story, 275–6; anecdote of debauches at Mecca, 279–80

ABU FUTRUS, battle of, 58

ABU ISHAQ, see IBRAHIM AL-HARBI

ABU KHALIFA AL-JUMAHI, grammarian: delegate to Mu'tadid, 339; an amusing anecdote, 339–40

ABU NUWAS, poet: poem on flowers, 421–2

ABU ZAKKAR, singer, 118

ABYSSINIANS, 74

ACONITE: used to poison Mu'tamid, 327

ADANA: fortified by Harun al-Rashid, 389

AFRA: love for Urwa, 285–6; dies at his tomb, 286

AGHLABIDS, 380

AGRICULTURE: Mu'tasim's love of, 223; excellent at Samarra, 229

AHMAD IBN AL-KHASIB: viciousness as vizier, 270; reproves Muntasir's imprudence, 271

AHMAD IBN SALLAM: describes Amin's last hours, 170–71

AHMAR, the grammarian: instructed on education of Amin, 83

AHNAF IBN QAIS: his ugliness and wit, compares Basra to Kufa, 61

A'ISHA, wife of the Prophet, 113, 174

ALCHEMY, 358–9

ALEMBICS, 358

ALEXANDER THE GREAT: aphorisms on his death, 236

ALI IBN ABI TALIB: his place of death in Kufa, 71; dream of, 365; appears to Mu'tadid, 366

ALI IBN ABI TALIB, see BLIND POET ALI IBN ISA IBN MAHAN: verses on the gate of his castle, 121; appointed by Amin to lead army into Khurasan, 135; contempt for Tahir, 135; killed in battle against Tahir, his body thrown down a well, 136; educated Amin's son Musa, 146

ALIDS: reasons why favoured by Mu'tadid, 366

ALOE, 138

AMBERGRIS, 105; 205; candles of, 390

AMIN: as a child recites a poem for Kisa'i, 81; educated by Ahmar, the grammarian, 82; dispraised by Umani, 83; favoured by the House of Hashim and placed first in the succession, 84–5; Zubaida pleads for him, 86; agreement concerning his succession hung in th...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Abu Ja'far Mansur
• A Conversation with the King of Nubia
• Loyalty to Hisham
• In the Audience Hall
• The Death of Mansur
• The Character of Mansur
• The Caliphate of Mahdi
• Mahdi and the Qadi
• Mahdi and the Peasant
• Mahdi and the Bedouin
• Mahdi and the Treasurer
• The Wheel of Fortune
• Unrequited Love
• An Amusing Story about the King of Hira
• The Last Days of Mahdi
• The Character of Hadi
• Isa ibn Da'b
• Revenge
• The Death of the Great-great-great Grandson of the Prophet
• The Fall of Khaizuran
• Blood Feuds
• The Climate of Egypt
• Basra versus Kufa
• Harun al-Rashid and the Death of Hadi
• The Dream of Mahdi
• The Sword Samsama
• The Accession of Harun al-Rashid
• Sheep's Head
• A Qadi's Interpretation
• The Last Pilgrimage of Harun al-Rashid
• Doctor Jabra'il and a Fish
• The Dream of Harun al-Rashid
• A Black and a Song
• Poem on a Dove
• Ma'n ibn Za'ida
• Amin and Ma'mun as Children
• The Education of Amin
• Amin and Ma'mun
• The Succession
• Zubaida's Opinion
• Rashid's Pilgrimage with his Sons
• The Devil's Song
• A Hard-Won Song
• Horse-Racing at Raqqa
• Fish Tongues
• The Name Ibrahim
• Bamboo and Reed
• The Death of Harun al-Rashid
• Khalid ibn Barmak and His Sons
• The Barmakids
• The Advice of Yahya
• Harun al-Rashid and the Singing Girl
• The Avarice of Asma'i
• A Poet on Rashid and Ja'far ibn Yahya
• On Love
• The Fall of the Barmakids
• The Murder of Ja'far al-Barmaki
• Elegies on the Barmakids
• The Mother of Ja'far
• The Wealth of the Barmakids
• Fadl in Prison
• Miscellaneous on Rashid and the Barmakids
• The Caliphate of Amin
• The Dreams of Zubaida
• Trouble Between Amin and Ma'mun
• The Jealousy of Zubaida
• Ill-Omens for Amin
• Amin's Beloved
• The Frivolity of Amin
• Amin and the Lion
• The Birth of Musa al-Hadi
• Miscellaneous Anecdotes
• The Palace of Manbij
• Musa Declared Heir Apparent
• Rebellion
• Amin in Retreat
• Baghdad Besieged
• The Naked Army
• Baghdad in Flames
• Resistance
• Famine
• Amin at Bay
• The Death of Amin
• An Eye-Witness Account
• Amin's Head
• The Laments of the Women
• The Caliphate of Ma'mun
• Sayings of Ma'mun
• Ma'mun's Wedding Speech
• Ma'mun and the Sponger
• The Caliph and the Poet
• Kulthum al-Attabi
• Professionally Unlucky
• Abu al-Atahiya
• The Caliph's Cooking
• Ma'mun Embarrassed
• Ma'mun Justifies Himself to the Sufis
• The Death of Shafi'i
• Ma'mun and the False Prophets
• The Rise and Death of Imam Rida
• The Capture of Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi
• The Marriage of Buran
• An Adventure of Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi
• The Poverty of Waqidi
• Mansur and the Cadger
• The Death of Ibn A'isha
• The Death of Abu al-Atahiya
• Ma'mun's Campaigns against the Byzantines and His Death
• The Caliphate of Mu'tasim
• Mu'tasim on Agriculture
• Mu'tasim and His Doctor
• The Kind Heart of Mu'tasim
• The New Capital of Samarra
• Mu'tasim
• The Caliphate of Wathiq
• Wathiq Discusses Medicine
• An Aphorism on the Death of Alexander
• The Caliphate of Mutawakkil
• Mutawakkil
• Mutawakkil's Palace of the Two Wings
• A Donkey in Love
• A Vigorous Old Scholar
• Saved from Rape
• At the Caliph's Table
• The Sailor's Stew
• Love's Despair – Jahiz
• The Slapping of a Secretary
• The Death of Ahmad ibn Hanbal
• The Testing of an Assassin
• The Indian Sword
• The Assassination of Mutawakkil
• Court Factions
• Mutawakkil's Last Day
• The Reign of Mutawakkil
• Mahbuba
• The Caliphate of Muntasir
• The Carpet of Annihilation
• Vicious Viziers
• On the Death of Muntasir
• The Generosity of Muntasir
• An Old Love Regained
• Love at First Sight
• Meccan Morals
• The Caliphate of Musta'in
• The Aftermath
• Things That Give Pleasure
• Afra and Urwa
• Bugha the Elder
• Mu'tazz Acclaimed Caliph
• The Assassination of Musta'in
• The Caliphate of Mu'tazz
• A Remarkable Ring
• The Death of Muhammad, the Grandson of Tahir
• The Imprisonment of Mu'ayyad
• The Murder of Bugha the Younger
• The Caliphate of Muhtadi
• The Death of Mu'tazz
• The Death of Muhtadi
• The Adventure of a Gate-crasher
• The Austerity of Muhtadi
• A Tradition Concerning Ali
• The Death of Jahiz
• The Caliphate of Mu'tamid
• The Discipline of Saffar's Army
• The Horrors of the Zanj Rebellion
• Wily Muslims Admired by the Byzantines
• Mu'awiya Takes Revenge on a Byzantine
• The Night Conversations of Mu'tamid
• Mu'tamid Dies by Poison
• The Caliphate of Mu'tadid
• The Splendid Dowry of Qatr al-Nada
• The Wit of Abu al-Ayna
• An Idol Comes to Baghdad
• A Delegation from Basra
• The Clucking of a Grammarian
• Umm Sharif, the Aunt of the Rebel
• On Eunuchs
• The Funeral of Khumarawaih
• Mu'tadid Takes a Thief
• The Mimic and the Eunuch
• A Master Thief
• Alchemical Texts
• Mu'tadid's Ghosts
• The Death of Ibrahim al-Harbi the Jurist
• Two Students Enamoured
• The Qadi Ibn Jabir
• The Eunuch Wasif
• Why Mu'tadid Preferred the Alids
• The Death of Mu'tadid
• The Caliphate of Muktafi
• Qasim's Hatred of Badr
• The Ransoming of Treachery
• The Avarice of Muktafi
• Nougat and Fritters
• Dushab and Harisa
• The Death of Muktafi
• The Caliphate of Muqtadir
• Hospitality
• The Death of Muqtadir
• Cyprus Seized
• The Caliphate of Qahir
• Qahir Demands a True History
• The Caliphate of Radi
• The Caliph Radi's Accomplishments
• Chess and Backgammon
• The Qualities of a General
• The Breeches of the Tallest Man
• The Marvels of Creation
• Arabic Words for Lavatory
• Black and Green
• The Garden of Qahir
• The Generosity of Radi
• Bajkam the Turk Coins His Own Money
• The Caliphate of Muttaqi
• The Blinding of Muttaqi
• Summing Up
• The Caliphate of Mustakfi
• The Unwanted Page Boy
• The Battle of the Flowers
• The Buwaihids Come to Power
• The Caliphate of Muti’
• The Rising of Utrush
• Mas'udi's Address to the Reader
• Mas'udi's Final Words
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Notes
• Index