Sunday, June 22, 2014

Baghdad; Round City and section through gate - Abbasid, Iraq

Baghdad, of course remains the most famous memorial to the Abbasids, 
although nothing remains of the fortified Round City built for the Caliph
 Mansur (754 - 775).  Its purpose was to serve as an administrative capital, 
a Caliphal palace, and a place to settle thousands of Khurasani-Arab troops.  
The location of Baghdad was also particularly good for communications.  
Militarily it housed a large army at the center of the state; these forces 
included regular troops, the Caliph's own guard, the city's shurta police 
and haras internal security force, as well as Baghdad's own paramilitary 
militia.  The great majority of the population, which may have reached 
as many as a half-million by the year 800, lived in sprawlingsuburbs 
around the Round City, some of which had been built by Khurasani 

military chiefs to house their own followers.


Reference:

D. Niccole and Angus McBride(illus.), "Armies of the Muslim Conquest," Men-At-Arms 225, Osprey Pub., 1993, Pages 23-24.

Respectfully Submitted;

Marcus Audens

Friday, June 20, 2014

Atshan, Umayyad, Iraq


Qasr al Hayr, al Ghure, Umayyad, Iraq


Qasr Hallabat, Umayyad, Jordan


Harunlye, Abbasid, Turkey


The Gate diagram of Ukhaydir, Umayyad, Iraq


Qala'at Rustaq, Early Islamic Oman

The 'later tower' means that sometime since the fortification was 
constructed, a tower was added  to the curtain wall.  It was
 well known that as european forces came into contact with 
muslim forces at a fortification, the Muslim engineers, borrowed 
the technology that they saw in the improvements of their 
opponent's fortifications . 

Muslim State at the Death of Muhammad in 632 CE

Reference:

D. Nicolle, et al, "Armies of the Muslim Conquest," Men-At-Arms 225, Osprey, 1993, P. 4