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Harun al-Rashid
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Depiction of Harun al-Rashid receiving a delegation from Charlemagne in Baghdad, by Julius Köckert, 1864. Public domain; courtesy of
Wikimedia

by Melissa Snell
Updated May 30, 2017

Harun Al-Rashid Was Also Known As

Haroun ar-Rashid, Harun al-Raschid or Haroon al Rasheed
History & Culture
Harun Al-Rashid Was Known For
Medieval & Renaissance History
Creating a fabulous court at Baghdad that would be immortalized in The Thousand
Important People & Events
and One Nights. Harun al-Rashid was the fifth Abbasid caliph.
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Daily Life

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American History
Caliph
Harun al-Rashid Search GO
African American History
Places of Residence and In uence
African History Asia: Arabia

Ancient History & Culture Important Dates

Became caliph: Sept. 14, 786
Asian History
Died: March 24, 809
European History
About Harun al-Rashid
Genealogy
Born to the caliph al-Mahdi and the former slave-girl al-Khayzuran, Harun was raised
at court and received the bulk of his education from Yahya the Barmakid, who was a
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loyal supporter of Harun's mother.

Before he was out of his teens, Harun was made the nominal leader of several
expeditions against the Eastern Roman Empire; his success (or, more accurately, the
success of his generals) resulted in his earning the title "al-Rashid," which means "the
one following the right path" or "upright" or "just." He was also appointed governor of
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Syria and Tunisia, which Yahya administered for him,
and named second in line to the throne (after his older brother, al-Hadi).

Al-Mahdi died in 785 and al-Hadi died mysteriously in 786 (it was rumored that al-
Khayzuran arranged his death), and Harun became caliph in September of that year.
He appointed as his vizier Yahya, who installed a cadre of Barmakids as
administrators. Al-Khayzuran had considerable influence over her son until her death
in 803, and the Barmakids effectively ran the empire for Harun. Regional dynasties Advertisement
were given semi-autonomous status in return for considerable annual payments,
which enriched Harun financially but weakened the power of the caliphs.

He also divided his empire between his sons al-Amin and al-Ma'mun, who would go to
war after Harun's death.

Harun was a great patron of art and learning, and is best known for the unsurpassed
splendor of his court and lifestyle. Some of the stories, perhaps the earliest, of The
Thousand and One Nights were inspired by the glittering Baghdad court, and King Looking for Cheap Flights
Shahryar (whose wife, Scheherazade, tells the tales) may have been based on Harun Over 60000+ Flight
himself. Routes Available

More Harun al-Rashid Resources

Iraq: Historical Setting

Encyclopedia article on Abbasids Advertisement

Harun al-Rashid on the Web

Harun al-Rashid
Informative collection of data at NNDB.

Harun al-Rashid (786-809)

Brief overview of Harun's life at the Jewish Virtual Library.

Harun ar-Rashid
Concise bio at Infoplease.

Harun al-Rashid in Print

The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers
across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the
book's page at one of the online merchants.

Harun Al-Rashid and the World of a Thousand and One Nights

by Andre Clot

Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography: Harun al-Rashid and the Narrative of the

Abbasid Caliphate
(Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)
by Tayeb El-Hibri

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