UKS2 Topic: Early Islamic Civilisation Block D: The rise and fall of Baghdad Session 5

Teacher notes: Yaqut al-Musta'simi and the fall of Baghdad, CE 1258

Yaqut al-Musta'simi

Yaqut al-Musta'simi was a well-known calligrapher and secretary of the last Abbasid caliph. During his time in Baghdad, he also worked as a librarian in one of the major madrasahs. He is credited with refining the six basic calligraphic styles, or ‘Six Pens’ of the Arabic script, one of which is said to have been revealed and taught to Yaqut in a vision! He also developed Yakuti, a handwriting named after him.

Supposedly, he copied the Qur'an many times; estimates range from 350 to 1000!

So committed to his work, it is said that during the Mongol attack on Baghdad in CE 1258, he took refuge in the minaret of a mosque so he could finish his calligraphy practice, while the city was being ravaged below!

The work of Yaqut is greatly prized and sought after by collectors today and is therefore highly valuable. An example of one of his Qur’ans (illuminated by a different artist), was sold on 24.10.07 by Sotheby’s for £748,500!

Further detailed information on the detail and provenance of Yaqut’s work can be found at http://www.islamicmanuscripts.info/reference/books/James-1992-MasterScribes/James-1992-MasterScribes-056-067.pdf and http://calligraphyqalam.com/people/yaqut-al-mustasimi.html

The Destruction of Baghdad

We have now learned that Baghdad had been established in CE 762 by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur and throughout its history had been the capital of the Muslims; with its unrivalled libraries and House of Wisdom, it was a magnet for the world’s most intelligent scientists, thinkers, mathematicians and linguists. The caliphs were patrons of literature, science, and the arts, not makers of war: the Abbasid army was effectively non-existent, only serving as bodyguards of the caliph. It was at this historic and landmark city that the Mongols arrived in CE 1258. Their army, estimated at over 150,000 soldiers, stood before the city to lay a siege that began in mid-January and only lasted two weeks. On February 10th, 1258, the Mongols entered the city of the caliphs.

A week of pillage and destruction commenced; the Mongols showed no discretion, destroying mosques, hospitals, libraries and palaces. The books from Baghdad’s libraries were thrown into the Tigris River in such quantities that it is said that the river ran black with the ink from the books! The world will never truly know the extent of what knowledge was lost forever when those books were thrown into the river or burned.

The loss of life was huge. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 1,000,000 people were killed by the invaders in that one week of destruction. Baghdad was left completely depopulated and uninhabitable.

Mongol invasions [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00maplinks/medieval/mongols/map1259max.jpg]

The Mongol army besieging Baghdad [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Bagdad1258.jpg]

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