Laura Sammartino
Mini Project
Professor Straughn
24 April 2009
Objective: I have created a “blog” with different entries which are designed to provide a teenager with a holistic understanding of 9th century Abbasid Baghdad from a male, Christian, merchant’s point of view.
Hi! I am a Christian male from 9th century Abbasid Baghdad looking to make connections and social networking. I am good with languages and am very open minded. I am fairly well off and would certainly consider myself cultured and worldly! I enjoy hot days at the suq, long walks by the Tigris, watching for ships, and an occasional camel ride.
Want to know more about my life? Read my blog below and maybe you can stop by my stand at the suq one day soon.
[BLOG]
Just a Typical Day
The daily scene at the bazaar allows for this mixture and coming together of peoples all intent on buying and selling. There are goods from far away lands. And I am constantly in awe of these foreign objects and the value some men place on them. I have seen goods from everywhere! You name it, Europe, Russia, China, India, Africa…I have seen and sold it all.
So many wonderful and different things surround me. I feel as though I am in many places at once. Which is an odd feeling to have, but yet it is a familiar one. There are people of different nationalities around me and I can hear numerous languages. I am quite good at understanding these languages, as it is required of me…
Some men are ignorant to life outside our round city. I consider myself very in touch with the outside world, simply from my daily exposure at the bazaar. I bet you would have never known that rice didn’t originate here. It came from India, but knowledge and the crop itself was brought here through the wonders of trade and the land allowed it to grow. Yet, other items that many of the elite enjoy, such as coffee, apples and spices are transported to Baghdad and find their way into this very market. Here comes the caravan now!
Thoughts on Samarra
There is a city 125 kilometers north of here on the eastern bank of the TigrisRiver. It is known as Samarra and has become the new capital of the Abbasid caliphate. Al- Mutasim moved the seat of government there in 836. The city is beautiful and full of wonder. The lavishness can be seen in the architecture- there are some incredible mosques, a multitude of palaces, grand courtyards, lakes and large avenues. Apparently it was started as a garrison for those Turkish slave soldiers…
If you ask me though, it was incredibly poor planning. I don’t believe that city has what it takes to thrive. The land is poor and gravelly, and it does not have proper access to trade on the Tigris. Cities like my magnificent Baghdad are ideally located! Poor city planning…they should know the importance of location, location, location!!!
Not to mention, there is the obvious disparity in tastes…what kind of culture is to be forged from the mixture of elite, royalty and mere soldiers?!
Where am I?
I typically ask myself this question. One can approach this in many different ways. There is of course the historical-Baghdad was a city founded in 762 and was the capital of the Abbasid dynasty, until the caliph foolishly relocated the capital to Samarra. The city has around half a million people! And Baghdad is bigger in size than both Ctesiphon and Constantinople.
Also, it is fairly central in what I consider to be the civilized world. From here there is contact with China and India. In fact, the Mediterranean has been linked with the Chinafrom the endless trade! It is anything but insular. I think in part this is due to the Abbasid dynasty and its interest in the outside world. Goods and ideas are constantly being interchanged and I can see the influences of these far off lands in my everyday life. There are certainly aspects of the outside world here in Baghdad, and I think the easiest place to see the influence is right here! In this suq!
I am very proud of my city, as I make quite apparent. It is elegant and certainly a center of world trade and economics.
A Word about the Suq
Just about every occupation to be found in Baghdad has its own suq (market). Or if not a suq, then at least a street! This sort of planning and layout makes everything so efficient! Buying and selling is not a hassle, and the interactions are not to be dreaded. The efficiency of trade here is what has made Baghdad a prosperous city. Both camels and ships have easy access over the different known trade routes. I look forward to the monthly trade fairs that take place here!
Trade under the Abbasids is safer, freer, and more extensive than it has ever been before! The Abbasid caliphate has in effect unified much of the Eastern world through the powers of trade. One can find anything he needs in Baghdad’s markets…there are spices, minerals, dyes, gems, fabrics, honey, wax, ivory, gold, silks, musk, porcelain, and of course slaves.
Trade has influenced the lives of many, not just those who are exporting and importing the goods. It has also created a need for craftsmen of all sorts.
Politics of the Fickle
Although I should not be one to criticize the Abbasid dynasty, since I am quite well off financially and do not have a reason to hold grievances with the state, I cannot fail to note what I see as some predominantly detrimental themes in the court’s administration. There is an overriding lack of security within politics which goes hand in hand with the instability of power. It is very easy to fall in or out of favor, both with the citizens and amongst the ruling class. Take for example, the Barmakid family. They were among some of the most influential in society just below the level of the caliph. And for such a short while! Despite the fact that they did many beneficial things for the state involving the strengthening of the government and the promotion of culture and the arts, in the end they fell from power after a mere 17 years.
Absurdities of Fashion
I look at that man selling fish and I immediately know his class and status within our society. I do not even need to see him selling fish to know his place in Baghdad’s social hierarchy. Who would have thought so much could be told from the mere clothes on a man’s back? But yet, in this society one cannot escape his identity- the clothes speak to the world and make men vulnerable, revealing things that can be personal like wealth and religion. I sometimes think I am trapped in a society that only cares about the material things. Is it really necessary to have laws concerning dress regulations?!
Religious Tolerance?
As I stated earlier, I am a follower of the Christian religion, and, thus, I am in the minority. Although the citizens of Baghdad are predominantly Muslims, there is great religious tolerance here, for which I am very grateful. The Abbasids treat us non-Muslims well. They make Christians, Jews, and pagans feel accustomed to our surroundings and the city we call home through the construction of churches, synagogues and fire temples.
However, as I have mentioned, there are some exclusive laws, such as rules that govern how we dress which make it all too apparent that we are not considered equals. Additionally, we are excluded from farming and thus, many Christians like myself have sought commercial occupations.
I do not mind this, and in fact I feel quite well suited towards commerce and trade. I am literate and have knowledge of foreign languages with which I can effectively communicate to various groups of people. This gives me character and strength! Through my work, I can, in a sense connect the empire to the outside world.
Knowledge-A Wonderful Thing
What a wonderful time! I cannot be more proud of the great thought and work in the areas of religion, history, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, chemistry and agriculture that came out of this era. Through this time a greater emphasis was placed on knowledge. One can see the value the state now places on knowledge by simply visiting the Bayt al Hikma.