The meadows of gold : the Abbasids

INTRODUCTION; Chapter 1 Abu Ja'far Mansur; Chapter 2 A Conversation With the King of Nubia; Chapter 3 Loyalty to Hisham; Chapter 4 In the Audience Hall; Chapter 5 The Death of Mansur; Chapter 6 The Character of Mansur; Chapter 7 The Caliphate of Mahdi; Chapter 8 Mahdi and the Qadi; Chapter 9 Mahdi and the Peasant; Chapter 10 Mahdi and the Bedouin; Chapter 11 Mahdi and the Treasurer; Chapter 12 The Wheel of Fortune; Chapter 13 Unrequited Love; Chapter 14 An Amusing Story About the King of Hira; Chapter 15 The Last Days of Mahdi; Chapter 16 The Character of Hadi; Chapter 17 Isa Ibn Da'b; Chapter 18 Revenge; Chapter 19 The Death of the Great-Great-Great Grandson of the Prophet; Chapter 20 The Fall of Khaizuran; Chapter 21 Blood Feuds; Chapter 22 The Climate of Egypt; Chapter 23 Basra Versus Kufa; Chapter 24 Harun Al-Rashid and the Death of Hadi; Chapter 25 The Dream of Mahdi; Chapter 26 The Sword Samsama; Chapter 27 The Accession of Harun Al-Rashid; Chapter 28 Sheep's Head; Chapter 29 A Qadi's Interpretation; Chapter 30 The Last Pilgrimage of Harun Al-Rashid; Chapter 31 Doctor Jabra'il and a Fish; Chapter 32 The Dream of Harun Al-Rashid; Chapter 33 A Black and a Song; Chapter 34 Poem on a Dove; Chapter 35 Ma'n Ibn Za'ida; Chapter 36 Amin and Ma'mun as Children; Chapter 37 The Education of Amin; Chapter 38 Amin and Ma'mun; Chapter 39 The Succession; Chapter 40 Zubaida's Opinion; Chapter 41 Rashid's Pilgrimage With His Sons; Chapter 42 The Devil's Song; Chapter 43 A Hard-won Song; Chapter 44 Horse-Racing at Raqqa; Chapter 45 Fish Tongues; Chapter 46 The Name Ibrahim; Chapter 47 Bamboo and Reed; Chapter 48 The Death of Harun Al-Rashid; Chapter 49 Khalid Ibn Barmak and His Sons; Chapter 50 The Barmakids; Chapter 51 The Advice of Yahya; Chapter 52 Harun Al-Rashid and the Singing Girl; Chapter 53 The Avarice of Asma'i; Chapter 54 A Poet on Rashid and Ja'far Ibn Yahya; Chapter 55 On Love; Chapter 56 The Fall of the Barmakids; Chapter 57 The Murder of Ja'far Al-Barmaki; Chapter 58 Elegies on the Barmakids; Chapter 59 The Mother of Ja'far; Chapter 60 The Wealth of the Barmakids; Chapter 61 Fadl in Prison; Chapter 62 Miscellaneous on Rashid and the Barmakids; Chapter 63 The Caliphate of Amin; Chapter 64 The Dreams of Zubaida; Chapter 65 Trouble Between Amin and Ma'mun; Chapter 66 The Jealousy of Zubaida; Chapter 67 Ill-Omens for Amin; Chapter 68 Amin's Beloved; Chapter 69 The Frivolity of Amin; Chapter 70 Amin and the Lion; Chapter 71 The Birth of Musa Al-Hadi; Chapter 72 Miscellaneous Anecdotes; Chapter 73 The Palace of Manbij; Chapter 74 Musa Declared Heir Apparent; Chapter 75 Rebellion; Chapter 76 Amin in Retreat; Chapter 77 Baghdad Besieged; Chapter 78 The Naked Army; Chapter 79 Baghdad in Flames; Chapter 80 Resistance; Chapter 81 Famine; Chapter 82 Amin at Bay; Chapter 83 The Death of Amin; Chapter 84 An Eye-Witness Account; Chapter 85 Amin's Head; Chapter 86 The Laments of the Women; Chapter 87 The Caliphate of Ma'mun; Chapter 88 Sayings of Ma'mun; Chapter 89 Ma'mun's Wedding Speech; Chapter 90 Ma'mun and the Sponger; Chapter 91 The Caliph and the Poet; Chapter 92 Kulthum Al-Attabi; Chapter 93 Professionally Unlucky; Chapter 94 Abu Al-Atahiya; Chapter 95 The Caliph's Cooking; Chapter 96 Ma'mun Embarrassed; Chapter 97 Ma'mun Justifies Himself to the Sufis; Chapter 98 The Death of Shafi'i; Chapter 99 Ma'mun and the False Prophets; Chapter 100 The Rise and Death of Imam Rida; Chapter 101 The Capture of Ibrahim Ibn Al-Mahdi; Chapter 102 The Marriage of Buran; Chapter 103 An Adventure of Ibrahim Ibn Al-Mahdi; Chapter 104 The Poverty of Waqidi; Chapter 105 Mansur and the Cadger; Chapter 106 The Death of Ibn A'isha; Chapter 107 The Death of Abu Al-Atahiya; Chapter 108 Ma'mun's Campaigns Against the Byzantines and His Death; Chapter 109 The Caliphate of Mu'tasim; Chapter 110 Mu'tasim on Agriculture; Chapter 111 Mu'tasim and His Doctor; Chapter 112 The Kind Heart of Mu'tasim; Chapter 113 The New Capital of Samarra; Chapter 114 Mu'tasim; Chapter 115 The Caliphate of Wathiq; Chapter 116 Wathiq Discusses Medicine; Chapter 117 An Aphorism on the Death of Alexander; Chapter 118 The Caliphate of Mutawakkil; Chapter 119 Mutawakkil; Chapter 120 Mutawakkil's Palace of the Two Wings; Chapter 121 A Donkey in Love; Chapter 122 A Vigorous old Scholar; Chapter 123 Saved From Rape; Chapter 124 At the Caliph's Table; Chapter 125 The Sailor's Stew; Chapter 126 Love's Despair – Jahiz; Chapter 127 The Slapping of a Secretary; Chapter 128 The Death of Ahmad ibn Hanbal; Chapter 129 The Testing of an Assassin; Chapter 130 The Indian Sword; Chapter 131 The Assassination of Mutawakkil; Chapter 132 Court Factions; Chapter 133 Mutawakkil's Last Day; Chapter 134 The Reign of Mutawakkil; Chapter 135 Mahbuba; Chapter 136 The Caliphate of Muntasir; Chapter 137 The Carpet of Annihilation; Chapter 138 Vicious Viziers; Chapter 139 On the Death of Muntasir; Chapter 140 The Generosity of Muntasir; Chapter 141 An Old Love Regained; Chapter 142 Love at First Sight; Chapter 143 Meccan Morals; Chapter 144 The Caliphate of Musta'in; Chapter 145 The Aftermath; Chapter 146 Things That Give Pleasure; Chapter 147 Afra and Urwa; Chapter 148 Bugha the Elder; Chapter 149 Mu'tazz Acclaimed Caliph; Chapter 150 The Assassination of Musta'in; Chapter 151 The Caliphate of Mu'tazz; Chapter 152 A Remarkable Ring; Chapter 153 The Death of Muhammad, the Grandson of Tahir; Chapter 154 The Imprisonment of Mu'ayyad; Chapter 155 The Murder of Bugha the Younger; Chapter 156 The Caliphate of Muhtadi; Chapter 157 The Death of Mu'tazz; Chapter 158 The Death of Muhtadi; Chapter 159 The Adventure of a Gate-Crasher; Chapter 160 The Austerity of Muhtadi; Chapter 161 A Tradition Concerning Ali; Chapter 162 The Death of Jahiz; Chapter 163 The Caliphate of Mu'Tamid; Chapter 164 The Discipline of Saffar's Army; Chapter 165 The Horrors of the Zanj Rebellion; Chapter 166 Wily Muslims Admired by the Byzantines; Chapter 167 Mu'awiya Takes Revenge on a Byzantine; Chapter 168 The Night Conversations of Mu'tamid; Chapter 169 Mu'tamid Dies by Poison; Chapter 170 The Caliphate of Mu'tadid; Chapter 171 The Splendid Dowry of Qatr al-Nada; Chapter 172 The Wit of Abu al-Ayna; Chapter 173 An Idol Comes to Baghdad; Chapter 174 A Delegation From Basra; Chapter 175 The Clucking of a Grammarian; Chapter 176 Umm Sharif, the Aunt of the Rebel; Chapter 177 On Eunuchs; Chapter 178 The Funeral of Khumarawaih; Chapter 179 Mu'tadid Takes a Thief; Chapter 180 The Mimic and the Eunuch; Chapter 181 A Master Thief; Chapter 182 Alchemical Texts; Chapter 183 Mu'tadid's Ghosts; Chapter 184 The Death of Ibrahim al-Harbi the Jurist; Chapter 185 Two Students Enamoured; Chapter 186 The Qadi Ibn Jabir; Chapter 187 The Eunuch Wasif; Chapter 188 Why Mu'tadid Preferred the Alids; Chapter 189 The Death of Mu'tadid; Chapter 190 The Caliphate of Muktafi; Chapter 191 Qasim's Hatred of Badr; Chapter 192 The Ransoming of Treachery; Chapter 193 The Avarice of Muktafi; Chapter 194 Nougat and Fritters; Chapter 195 Dushab and Harisa; Chapter 196 The Death of Muktafi; Chapter 197 The Caliphate of Muqtadir; Chapter 198 Hospitality; Chapter 199 The Death of Muqtadir; Chapter 200 Cyprus Seized; Chapter 201 The Caliphate of Qahir; Chapter 202 Qahir Demands a True History of the Caliphate; Chapter 203 The Caliphate of Radi; Chapter 204 The Caliph radi's Accomplishments; Chapter 205 Chess and Backgammon; Chapter 206 The Qualities of a General; Chapter 207 The Breeches of the Tallest Man; Chapter 208 The Marvels of Creation; Chapter 209 Arabic Words for Lavatory*; Chapter 210 Black and Green; Chapter 211 The Garden of Qahir; Chapter 212 The Generosity of Radi; Chapter 213 Bajkam the Turk Coins His Own Money; Chapter 214 The Caliphate of Muttaqi; Chapter 215 The Blinding of Muttaqi; Chapter 216 Summing Up; Chapter 217 The Caliphate of Mustakfi; Chapter 218 The Unwanted Page Boy; Chapter 219 The Battle of the Flowers; Chapter 220 The Buwaihids Come to Power; Chapter 221 The Caliphate of Muti'; Chapter 222 The Rising of Utrush; Chapter 223 Mas'udi's Address to the Reader; Chapter 224 Mas'udi's Final Words;