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The Caliph's Splendor: Islam and the West in the Golden Age of Baghdad
The story of Harun al-Rashid, the celebrated caliph from The Thousand and One Nights , who ruled the Islamic world when its power was at a peak in the late eighth and early ninth centuries and when the Arab world influenced Western Christian culture.
The Caliph’s Splendor is a a history of a civilization we barely know that had a profound effect on our own culture.
While the West declined following the collapse of the Roman Empire, a new Arab civilization arose to the east, reaching an early peak in Baghdad under the caliph Harun al-Rashid. Harun is the legendary caliph of The Thousand and One Nights, but his actual court was nearly as magnificent as the fictional one. In The Caliph’s Splendor, Benson Bobrick eloquently tells the little-known and remarkable story of Harun’s rise to power and his rivalries with the neighboring Byzantines and the new Frankish kingdom under the leadership of Charlemagne.
When Harun came to power, Islam stretched from the Atlantic to India. The Islamic empire was the mightiest on earth and the largest ever seen. Although Islam spread largely through war, its cultural achievements were immense. Harun’s court at Baghdad outshone the independent Islamic emirate in Spain and all the courts of Europe, for that matter. In Baghdad, great works from Greece and Rome were preserved and studied, and new learning enhanced civilization. Over the following centuries Arab and Persian civilizations made a lasting impact on the West in astronomy, geometry, algebra (an Arabic word), medicine, and chemistry, among other fields of science. The alchemy (another Arabic word) of the Middle Ages originated with the Arabs. From engineering to jewelry to fashion to weaponry, Arab influences would shape life in the West, as they did in the fields of law, music, and literature.
But for centuries Arabs and Byzantines contended fiercely on land and sea. Bobrick tells how Harun defeated attempts by the Byzantines to advance into Asia at his expense. He contemplated an alliance with the much weaker Charlemagne in order to contain the Byzantines, and in time Arabs and Byzantines reached an accommodation that permitted both to prosper. Harun’s caliphate would weaken from within as his two sons quarreled and formed factions; eventually Arabs would give way to Turks in the Islamic empire.
Empires rise, weaken, and fall, but during its golden age, the caliphate of Baghdad made a permanent contribution to civilization, as Benson Bobrick so splendidly reminds us.
The Caliph’s Splendor is a a history of a civilization we barely know that had a profound effect on our own culture.
While the West declined following the collapse of the Roman Empire, a new Arab civilization arose to the east, reaching an early peak in Baghdad under the caliph Harun al-Rashid. Harun is the legendary caliph of The Thousand and One Nights, but his actual court was nearly as magnificent as the fictional one. In The Caliph’s Splendor, Benson Bobrick eloquently tells the little-known and remarkable story of Harun’s rise to power and his rivalries with the neighboring Byzantines and the new Frankish kingdom under the leadership of Charlemagne.
When Harun came to power, Islam stretched from the Atlantic to India. The Islamic empire was the mightiest on earth and the largest ever seen. Although Islam spread largely through war, its cultural achievements were immense. Harun’s court at Baghdad outshone the independent Islamic emirate in Spain and all the courts of Europe, for that matter. In Baghdad, great works from Greece and Rome were preserved and studied, and new learning enhanced civilization. Over the following centuries Arab and Persian civilizations made a lasting impact on the West in astronomy, geometry, algebra (an Arabic word), medicine, and chemistry, among other fields of science. The alchemy (another Arabic word) of the Middle Ages originated with the Arabs. From engineering to jewelry to fashion to weaponry, Arab influences would shape life in the West, as they did in the fields of law, music, and literature.
But for centuries Arabs and Byzantines contended fiercely on land and sea. Bobrick tells how Harun defeated attempts by the Byzantines to advance into Asia at his expense. He contemplated an alliance with the much weaker Charlemagne in order to contain the Byzantines, and in time Arabs and Byzantines reached an accommodation that permitted both to prosper. Harun’s caliphate would weaken from within as his two sons quarreled and formed factions; eventually Arabs would give way to Turks in the Islamic empire.
Empires rise, weaken, and fall, but during its golden age, the caliphate of Baghdad made a permanent contribution to civilization, as Benson Bobrick so splendidly reminds us.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 14, 2012
24 people are currently reading
485 people want to read
About the author
Benson Bobrick
28 books30 followersBenson Bobrick earned his doctorate from Columbia University and is the author of several critically acclaimed works. In 2002, he received the Literature Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He and his wife, Hilary, live in Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 5, 2016
Before reading it to the last page, I thought it's a book on Baghdad's history - from its establishment to golden age to finally its decline - as the ultimate fate of the world's legacy that we inherit as human beings. However, being a Muslim (perhaps), I found its chapters a little shrewd than uncanny. Though I loved (as I always do) reading the magnificent achievements of Islam in the last chapter TURBAN AND COWL and how West owes to Muslims (Islam), but as he puts all the details in a rather hard-boiled way, he has created imbalance between the last chapter and the rest of the book. Nonetheless some acute details astonished me, which made it yet another indispensable book on Muslim history, and rather in his words, "We ought to know its (Islam / Muslim) history better than we do". Good read. Recommended.
March 13, 2013
Benson Bobrick’s The Caliph’s Splendor takes us on a journey from the times of the Rashidun (rightly guided) Caliphs (representatives) to the end times of the Abbasid and Umayyad dynasties. It is a fairly unbiased view covering their rise and fall. The book focuses a great deal on the cities of the time: Baghdad, Cordoba, Sicily and others; specifically, the architecture of the buildings, the Hamams (public baths) and overall city planning. There is an entire chapter devoted to Baghdad alone.
Bobrick also touches upon the situation of the society: literacy, culture, religion, occupations and pastimes. He presents a more balanced view of some of the notable Caliphs such as Harun Rashid, stating that he welcomed people of all faiths and encouraged learning and trade. In Baghdad and Andalusia (now in Spain), their seemed to have existed universities where a great deal of development on science, mathematics, physics, chemistry and medicine seems to have taken place. One can imagine them to be like the developed countries of today.
As is the case with most kingdoms and dynasties, the initial Caliphs were pious and the later ones were lavish, and extravagant. Their wealth seems to have been disproportionate and possibly one of the causes of their downfall along with their in-fighting.
The book is not too detailed and tries to weave events into a story. It is a good read on the subject but readers looking for a more detailed account should read “A Short History of Saracens” by Syed Ameer Ali (freely available in the public domain).
Bobrick also touches upon the situation of the society: literacy, culture, religion, occupations and pastimes. He presents a more balanced view of some of the notable Caliphs such as Harun Rashid, stating that he welcomed people of all faiths and encouraged learning and trade. In Baghdad and Andalusia (now in Spain), their seemed to have existed universities where a great deal of development on science, mathematics, physics, chemistry and medicine seems to have taken place. One can imagine them to be like the developed countries of today.
As is the case with most kingdoms and dynasties, the initial Caliphs were pious and the later ones were lavish, and extravagant. Their wealth seems to have been disproportionate and possibly one of the causes of their downfall along with their in-fighting.
The book is not too detailed and tries to weave events into a story. It is a good read on the subject but readers looking for a more detailed account should read “A Short History of Saracens” by Syed Ameer Ali (freely available in the public domain).
September 13, 2012
My introduction to the Caliph Harun al-Rashid was in a fictional context, so it was fascinating to read about the man himself and what life was like in Baghdad in the 700s. I learned a LOT about the origins and growth of Islam, but the highlight for me was the culture -- the art, architecture, food, and scholarship. And I now have an irresistible urge to visit Arab-influenced Spain.
Well-researched and clearly written, though it's always hard to read about the end of an era.
Well-researched and clearly written, though it's always hard to read about the end of an era.
May 21, 2025
I was just 30% through this book and couldn't go any further.
As a reader with a keen interest in Islamic history, I found The Caliph’s Splendor deeply disappointing. Benson Bobrick in this book (only book by him I've tried to read) suffers from fundamental factual inaccuracies that undermine its credibility.
Within the first third of the book alone, I encountered multiple errors that could have been corrected with minimal research:
1. Idol Count in the Kaaba – The book cites 150 idols, whereas most historical sources confirm approximately 360 idols prior to Islam.
2. Misrepresentation of the Prophet’s Upbringing – Bobrick claims Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was raised by "in-laws," a glaring error. He was raised by his grandfather Abdul Muttalib and later by his uncle Abu Talib—basic facts in any standard biography.
3. Hijra Terminology – Bobrick refers to the Hijra as “flight,” using the outdated "Hegira." The correct term is Hijra, meaning migration, a significant distinction both linguistically and historically.
4. Compilation of the Quran – The author misleadingly suggests the Quran was compiled posthumously through a “lengthy editorial process,” ignoring that it was written, memorized, and verified during the Prophet's (PBUH) lifetime.
5. Cultural Inaccuracy – He bizarrely states that Abbasid women wore saris, an Indian garment completely foreign to Arab-Persian attire of the time.
6. Library of Alexandria – The book blames early Muslims for its destruction based on non-contemporary sources, a claim widely discredited by modern historians.
These are not minor details—they reflect a troubling lack of diligence and cultural understanding. Readers unfamiliar with Islamic history may be misled, and those with even moderate knowledge will find the book frustrating and unreliable.
In a genre that demands both accuracy and nuance, The Caliph’s Splendor fails on both counts. Not recommended.
As a reader with a keen interest in Islamic history, I found The Caliph’s Splendor deeply disappointing. Benson Bobrick in this book (only book by him I've tried to read) suffers from fundamental factual inaccuracies that undermine its credibility.
Within the first third of the book alone, I encountered multiple errors that could have been corrected with minimal research:
1. Idol Count in the Kaaba – The book cites 150 idols, whereas most historical sources confirm approximately 360 idols prior to Islam.
2. Misrepresentation of the Prophet’s Upbringing – Bobrick claims Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was raised by "in-laws," a glaring error. He was raised by his grandfather Abdul Muttalib and later by his uncle Abu Talib—basic facts in any standard biography.
3. Hijra Terminology – Bobrick refers to the Hijra as “flight,” using the outdated "Hegira." The correct term is Hijra, meaning migration, a significant distinction both linguistically and historically.
4. Compilation of the Quran – The author misleadingly suggests the Quran was compiled posthumously through a “lengthy editorial process,” ignoring that it was written, memorized, and verified during the Prophet's (PBUH) lifetime.
5. Cultural Inaccuracy – He bizarrely states that Abbasid women wore saris, an Indian garment completely foreign to Arab-Persian attire of the time.
6. Library of Alexandria – The book blames early Muslims for its destruction based on non-contemporary sources, a claim widely discredited by modern historians.
These are not minor details—they reflect a troubling lack of diligence and cultural understanding. Readers unfamiliar with Islamic history may be misled, and those with even moderate knowledge will find the book frustrating and unreliable.
In a genre that demands both accuracy and nuance, The Caliph’s Splendor fails on both counts. Not recommended.
September 24, 2015
Benson Bobrick's Book is a quick and short introduction to Abbasid Golden age. The writer particularly focuses on reign of Harun al Rashid. The Caliph who is immortalised in the "Tales of One thousand and one nights". I understand that covering the Court culture, Poetry, Harem intrigues and Politics in a single book is difficult. However the writer manages to give us glimpses of it despite his oversimplified narrative. In my perspective, treatment on Al-andalus is superficial and very little is conveyed on the subject. I liked the narration of various shenanigans on the Abbasid court house. The personality of Harun al Rashid is very interesting. He is pious, energetic, intelligent, wise and benevolent ruler yet can be ruthless,jealous and vindictive. The book describes few chilling narrative of his punishments.
"A baker in baghdad was cut into piece and baked in his own owen for short weighing"
The last chapter tell us their accomplishment on Science and Technology, Trade and Commerce, Architecture, Agriculture, Music, Lifestyle and Fashion which influence us even today. Overall a goodread.
"A baker in baghdad was cut into piece and baked in his own owen for short weighing"
The last chapter tell us their accomplishment on Science and Technology, Trade and Commerce, Architecture, Agriculture, Music, Lifestyle and Fashion which influence us even today. Overall a goodread.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2013
Quick, light introduction to an area of history too many in the West are ignorant about. While there is quite a bit to cover, the book felt a bit disjointed and out of focus, and the repeated references to the Arabian Nights wore thin. It is at its strongest when it focuses on the reign of Harun al-Rashid, but falters when it tries to spiral wider and take in Byzantium and Western Europe. The treatment of Andalusia is also just a quick dip at the trot, so anyone interested specifically in that area would do better to look elsewhere. Also, there is heavy use of anecdote. Overall, it felt like the kids' version of history or biography I used to read in middle school. I think I'd prefer to track down the grownups version.
May 8, 2017
Buku ini panjang sekali introductionnya, dan detail sekali. Berhubung lagi di mood baca budaya dan sejarah Islam ternyata saya bisa selesai membacanya kurang dalam sebulan. Terharu. :')
Review menyusul. :)
Review menyusul. :)
November 27, 2020
Idiosyncratic background: A couple months ago I re-read Robert Byron’s The Road to Oxiana, and this time through I was less dazzled by Byron’s great love for Islamic architecture than bemused by my pervasive ignorance of the sweep of central Asian history. I’m also reading my way through the magnificent translation of the Arabian Nights by Malcolm Lyons and Ursula Lyons. As readers of that work remember, the most celebrated caliph of all time, Harun al-Rashid, pops up throughout the tales with his glittering capital city as the backdrop.
Benson Bobrick’s history of the splendors of Baghdad under Rashun is the centerpiece of the book, but he also circles the Mediterranean to cover contemporary empires in Europe (Charlemagne), Byzantiam (Irene), North Africa and Spain. Bobrick is a good storyteller, although the book could have benefited from an editorial touch (sentences and metaphors sometimes repeat themselves within a few pages). I have another heavy book on my shelf - Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane - which covers the same period in depth, but before I dive into that, Bobrick provided me with a cast of characters and a general framework.
At the end of the book after a quick survey of how Europe’s Renaissance drew upon the wealth of Islamic civilization, he observes that “most Americans, even among the educated, know almost nothing about Islam except that Muslims profess it and that Christians clashed at the time of the Crusades. Most of those who have heard of the Crusades think the Christians won.” He concludes laconically: “We should know its history better than we do.” Fortunately, that history as he’s introduced it is as fascinating and spectacular as anything in the European Middle Ages.
Benson Bobrick’s history of the splendors of Baghdad under Rashun is the centerpiece of the book, but he also circles the Mediterranean to cover contemporary empires in Europe (Charlemagne), Byzantiam (Irene), North Africa and Spain. Bobrick is a good storyteller, although the book could have benefited from an editorial touch (sentences and metaphors sometimes repeat themselves within a few pages). I have another heavy book on my shelf - Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane - which covers the same period in depth, but before I dive into that, Bobrick provided me with a cast of characters and a general framework.
At the end of the book after a quick survey of how Europe’s Renaissance drew upon the wealth of Islamic civilization, he observes that “most Americans, even among the educated, know almost nothing about Islam except that Muslims profess it and that Christians clashed at the time of the Crusades. Most of those who have heard of the Crusades think the Christians won.” He concludes laconically: “We should know its history better than we do.” Fortunately, that history as he’s introduced it is as fascinating and spectacular as anything in the European Middle Ages.
February 28, 2021
By reading the first page, I was already in rage. This book is way too different with the knowledge I was taught at school since I was really young. I can’t pinpoint the specific part in order to avoid unwanted discussion about one religion. I dislike the details which were apparently insignificant to the promise the book tried to acquire from the beginning. The book only explains a tiny piece among all the greatest period of Harun’s Calipath until the epilog came. It was too focusing on Harun’s “dirty” tactics to run his government. I didn’t find what I was looking for, so, it only got one star from me.
October 18, 2019
Buku yang fantastis, memceritakan bagaimana kebudayaan arab-persia terasimilasi ke kebudayaan barat eropa setelah abad pertengahan dan menceritakan secara gamblang sumbangan terbesar pemuka arab baik itu cendikiawan, intelektual, seniman mauapun sejarawan arab bagi peradaban eropa moderen, yang bahkan inteluktual amerika saat ini sendiri banyak yang tidak menyadarinya seperti dikatakan oleh penulis sendiri dalam penutup bukunya
July 14, 2020
Bobrick is brilliant. One of our finest, for sure.
All the academia, art and culture of the middle east. Now if we could only elevate the humanity of these people to revere women and children.
Have we learned nothing from the Houris and Scheherazade?
All the academia, art and culture of the middle east. Now if we could only elevate the humanity of these people to revere women and children.
Have we learned nothing from the Houris and Scheherazade?
Read
January 11, 2022This book gives me insight about what khalifah looks alike in the past. It gives more detail information rather than material taught in my religion class. So far, it gives you comprehensive illustration of the history at the time. Insightful.
May 2, 2025
buku sejarah terutama Islam, adalah tema yang aku kejar untuk baca. versi penulis disini, tidak hanya menceritakan masa khalifah Abbasiyah, di cerita itu banyak kerajaan Islam juga yg beroperasi. meski Islam tapi mereka tidak bisa bersatu karena banyak kepentingan masing-masing.
January 13, 2018
mendeskripsikan tentang budaya timur dengan detail.
membahas tentang awal sang khalifah bisa naik ke bangku kekuasaan tertinggi yaitu sebagai kepala negara itu sendiri.
membahas tentang awal sang khalifah bisa naik ke bangku kekuasaan tertinggi yaitu sebagai kepala negara itu sendiri.
July 12, 2019
I posted my review of this interesting book on my blog: https://strivetoengage.wordpress.com/...
April 16, 2020
Berawal dari kumpulan kisah abu nawas, mampir kesini dan berakhir dengan cerita panjang kekhalifahan. Thanks Benson Bobrick.
May 16, 2020
Khas orientalis suka-suka dia mendeskripsikan sang khalifah, misal suka minum dan main harem, ini sebenar nya jauh dari sifat Harun yang sangat taat dalam beragama, pemurah, dll.
September 16, 2020
Menjelaskan sejarah dengan blak-blakan, penulis juga kadang satir dan mempertanyakan hal yang sebelumnya umat muslim mungkin jarang2 mempertanyakan sikap tokoh2 di sini. Bagus
November 1, 2022
Buku bagus walaupun kurang mendetail dari segi pengetahuan yang dikembangkan secara rinci
November 25, 2024
Wonderful overview
This was a lovely overview of the Islamic world. It was well written and had my rapt attention. Palace intrigues are my favorite part!
This was a lovely overview of the Islamic world. It was well written and had my rapt attention. Palace intrigues are my favorite part!
June 29, 2013
The Caliph’s Splendor : a history of a civilization that has a profound effect on our own culture.
While the West declined following the collapse of the Roman Empire, a new Arab civilization arose to the east, reaching an early peak in Baghdad under the caliph Harun al-Rashid. Harun is the legendary caliph of The Thousand and One Nights, but his actual court was nearly as magnificent as the fictional one. In The Caliph’s Splendor, Benson Bobrick eloquently tells the little-known and remarkable story of Harun’s rise to power and his rivalries with the neighboring Byzantines and the new Frankish kingdom under the leadership of Charlemagne.
When Harun came to power, Islam stretched from the Atlantic to India. The Islamic empire was the mightiest on earth and the largest ever seen. Although Islam spread largely through war, its cultural achievements were immense. Harun’s court at Baghdad outshone the independent Islamic emirate in Spain and all the courts of Europe, for that matter. In Baghdad, great works from Greece and Rome were preserved and studied, and new learning enhanced civilization. Over the following centuries Arab and Persian civilizations made a lasting impact on the West in astronomy, geometry, algebra (an Arabic word), medicine, and chemistry, among other fields of science. The alchemy (another Arabic word) of the Middle Ages originated with the Arabs. From engineering to jewelry to fashion to weaponry, Arab influences would shape life in the West, as they did in the fields of law, music, and literature.
But for centuries Arabs and Byzantines contended fiercely on land and sea. Bobrick tells how Harun defeated attempts by the Byzantines to advance into Asia at his expense. He contemplated an alliance with the much weaker Charlemagne in order to contain the Byzantines, and in time Arabs and Byzantines reached an accommodation that permitted both to prosper. Harun’s caliphate would weaken from within as his two sons quarreled and formed factions; eventually Arabs would give way to Turks in the Islamic empire.
Empires rise, weaken, and fall, but during its golden age, the caliphate of Baghdad made a permanent contribution to civilization, as Benson Bobrick so splendidly reminds us.
While the West declined following the collapse of the Roman Empire, a new Arab civilization arose to the east, reaching an early peak in Baghdad under the caliph Harun al-Rashid. Harun is the legendary caliph of The Thousand and One Nights, but his actual court was nearly as magnificent as the fictional one. In The Caliph’s Splendor, Benson Bobrick eloquently tells the little-known and remarkable story of Harun’s rise to power and his rivalries with the neighboring Byzantines and the new Frankish kingdom under the leadership of Charlemagne.
When Harun came to power, Islam stretched from the Atlantic to India. The Islamic empire was the mightiest on earth and the largest ever seen. Although Islam spread largely through war, its cultural achievements were immense. Harun’s court at Baghdad outshone the independent Islamic emirate in Spain and all the courts of Europe, for that matter. In Baghdad, great works from Greece and Rome were preserved and studied, and new learning enhanced civilization. Over the following centuries Arab and Persian civilizations made a lasting impact on the West in astronomy, geometry, algebra (an Arabic word), medicine, and chemistry, among other fields of science. The alchemy (another Arabic word) of the Middle Ages originated with the Arabs. From engineering to jewelry to fashion to weaponry, Arab influences would shape life in the West, as they did in the fields of law, music, and literature.
But for centuries Arabs and Byzantines contended fiercely on land and sea. Bobrick tells how Harun defeated attempts by the Byzantines to advance into Asia at his expense. He contemplated an alliance with the much weaker Charlemagne in order to contain the Byzantines, and in time Arabs and Byzantines reached an accommodation that permitted both to prosper. Harun’s caliphate would weaken from within as his two sons quarreled and formed factions; eventually Arabs would give way to Turks in the Islamic empire.
Empires rise, weaken, and fall, but during its golden age, the caliphate of Baghdad made a permanent contribution to civilization, as Benson Bobrick so splendidly reminds us.
September 6, 2025
Good book, but has several misconceptions in the few chapters I have already read. Few examples include a claim of the black stone of the kaabah being from a meteorite, which is a theory, but is treated as fact in the book, another misconception (or purposeful misinfo..?) is an inscription on the blade of the prophet (pbuh) according to the book, it was inscribed with "no Muslim shall be slain for slaying an infidel" which from what I have seen in hadiths, shia and sunni, has no backing, and in fact there is discourse on what was written on the sword, but no mention of this specific phrase. I would like to believe this book is unbiased, but I will have to continue reading to do so.
UPDATE
Haven't picked this book up in a couple months, left at under halfway through, I was busy reading Dune. But this isn't the type of book you need to read all at once, anyway. Purely informational, with the only semblance of a 'narrative' being the fact that the book tends to present information chronologically. Presents mostly facts and pulls no punches, but not necessarily an academic book. I'm impartial to this; it's a good source of info, but a boring read.
UPDATE
Haven't picked this book up in a couple months, left at under halfway through, I was busy reading Dune. But this isn't the type of book you need to read all at once, anyway. Purely informational, with the only semblance of a 'narrative' being the fact that the book tends to present information chronologically. Presents mostly facts and pulls no punches, but not necessarily an academic book. I'm impartial to this; it's a good source of info, but a boring read.
May 23, 2014
An interesting read that takes us through a period of time not discussed often enough with an objective lens. And what can be discussed with an objective lens? History tends to be written from a position of privilege, and this is no exception.
However, despite what is written coming from a place of those who have, a discerning historian can also notice what ISN'T written as a place to look for more information to add to the story.
What you think of this book has everything to do with what you are looking for, from it. That's true of any book, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, but particularly a book that concerns what can be such a controversial topic in the Occident.
And touching on the subject of fiction and nonfiction, Bobrick does an excellent job of writing this work in a style that feels like fiction - it's an entertaining read, I think, even for those who don't tend to enjoy books about history and books in the nonfiction realm.
Worth a read. And then probably worth another read.
However, despite what is written coming from a place of those who have, a discerning historian can also notice what ISN'T written as a place to look for more information to add to the story.
What you think of this book has everything to do with what you are looking for, from it. That's true of any book, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, but particularly a book that concerns what can be such a controversial topic in the Occident.
And touching on the subject of fiction and nonfiction, Bobrick does an excellent job of writing this work in a style that feels like fiction - it's an entertaining read, I think, even for those who don't tend to enjoy books about history and books in the nonfiction realm.
Worth a read. And then probably worth another read.
May 13, 2013
I think, the detail in this book is amazing, but I find something strange when I reading the story. I wonder if it's about Islam or Arabic. I, myself, haven't read many verses of this history yet, so I can't judge the story whether it's accurate or not as the truth. Because as I know about Islam, it's forbid to kill another muslim, if there is no right reason in Islam. But I read, Harun killed many people who are muslims and he killed them even in the very cruel way. I know that Khalifah Utsman was also killed in a very cruel way too but... It makes me want to cry to read this story. I think the story was kind too chaos and a bit strange. I can't just believe every act that Harun did as Caliph. but yeah, He made some improvement in many things as we can still feel it till now..
but after all, the ending of the book was quite enchanted.
but after all, the ending of the book was quite enchanted.
September 4, 2014
It took me a while to finish this one but let that be no reflection on the text. Merely a reflection on my ability to misplace it :)
Bobrick has made this history thoroughly readable. It's informative, well-stocked with reminders of who this enormous cast of characters is (which makes it more accessible not only for those of us with multiple books on the go, but also for anyone who is less familiar with non-Caucasian names), and otherwise extremely accessible in general. I think Bobrick's text could scarcely be easier to read and still contain the wealth of information it does. A hugely commendable effort.
Bobrick has made this history thoroughly readable. It's informative, well-stocked with reminders of who this enormous cast of characters is (which makes it more accessible not only for those of us with multiple books on the go, but also for anyone who is less familiar with non-Caucasian names), and otherwise extremely accessible in general. I think Bobrick's text could scarcely be easier to read and still contain the wealth of information it does. A hugely commendable effort.
May 16, 2014
Disappointing after reading the masterful Labyrinths of Iron, but this book is a competent & mostly fun history of the golden age of Islam. It would be quite good if he could keep up the storytale feel of some of the most narrative chapters, but unfortunately a fair amount of chapters are dry lists of what happened and who did it. Not sure if that is a failing of the author or the record - it seems a lot of the juicier stuff comes from ancient historians.
November 2, 2012
I thought this was an interesting and well-written history. I sometimes found the jumps (between Byzantine civilization and others, for example) confusing. My one other criticism was that sometimes I found the author's tone to be one of "my dad can beat up your dad." While it is understandable to want to rectify the west's frequent denigration of Islamic and Arabic civilization, a simple highlighting of its beauties and intellectual strengths would be sufficient without a "nah nah." :-)
April 30, 2013
This book quite good. The author try to be as neutral as possible in explaining eastern and western dynasty. The author explained the history of Khalifah Harun Ar Rasyid and his dynasty ( including enemies).
In the end prolog, Benson Brobbick wrote about how eastern civilization effect the modern world.
It's worth to read book.
But I do not agree (in most part the characterization of Khalifah) which were written by assumption.
In the end prolog, Benson Brobbick wrote about how eastern civilization effect the modern world.
It's worth to read book.
But I do not agree (in most part the characterization of Khalifah) which were written by assumption.
May 1, 2014
Really liked this history of an empire i never learned about in my 16+ years of mostly western european and american history. It is about the the years from about 650 to 800, altho the empire went on to about 12 00. Dark ages in europe, while baghdad was the center of an incredible culture of science, art, literature, medicin and good governance. It is an extremely interesting history that is so well described and entertainingly wrirren.
February 11, 2013
An enjoyable read, and a good quick survey of Baghdad in its early Golden Age. I felt some frustration reading The Caliph's Splendor, however. I'm not quite certain what I felt it was missing, perhaps not enough depth or some unique insight. So much going on culturally and historically, and I came away from the book thinking it was just "nice." Still, I'd recommend the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews