The Bodyguard of the Caliphs During the Umayyad and the Early Abbasid Periods

During early Islam, the <em>ḥaras</em> was a government unit that was responsible for the personal security of the caliph. Since the reign of the first Umayyad Caliph, Mu‘āwiya b. Abī Sufyān, the <em>ḥaras</em>, headed by a <em>ḥaras</em> chief, protected all caliphs. This paper will attempt to describe the functions of the <em>ḥaras</em> during the Umayyad and the early Abbasid caliphates by delineating the characteristics of the <em>ḥaras</em> chiefs under the different caliphs. As with other institutions during early Islam, accounts that refer to the <em>ḥaras</em> offer information about the men who headed it rather than about the institution itself, making it necessary to employ the method of prosopography in order to arrive at an adequate description of the institution. The majority of the <em>ḥaras</em> chiefs appear to have been <em>mawālī</em>, often entrusted with administrative offices in addition to heading the <em>ḥaras</em>. It seems that the <em>ḥaras</em> chiefs were responsible not only for protecting the caliphs, but also for carrying out executions. The establishment of the <em>ḥaras</em>, the qualifications of the <em>ḥaras</em> chiefs and the weapons used by members of this body are also discussed. This significant institution has not yet received due attention in the literature. I hope to provide a useful outline and to open up a space for further research.<br><br>Durante los principios del Islam el <em>ḥaras</em> fue una unidad del gobierno, responsable de la seguridad personal de los califas. Desde el reinado del primer califa omeya Mu‘āwiya b. Abī Sufyān, el <em>ḥaras</em> que estaba bajo las ordenes de su jefe, custodió a todos los califas. El propósito de este artículo es describir el papel del <em>ḥaras</em> durante el periodo del Califato Omeya y el principio del Califato Abbasí y describir las características de los jefes del <em>ḥaras</em> bajo los diferentes califas. Al igual que con otras instituciones durante el comienzo del Islam, la información relacionada con el <em>ḥaras</em> se basa en la vida y obra de los hombres que los encabezaban y no tanto en los datos específicos de la institución. Esto hace necesario el uso del método prosopográfico para conseguir una descripción adecuada de la institución. La mayoría de los dirigentes del <em>ḥaras</em> fueron <em>mawālī</em> y muchas veces eran responsables de las funciones administrativas, además de comandar el <em>ḥaras</em>. Sus dirigentes no solo eran responsables de la protección de los califas, sino tambien de ejecutar sus órdenes. Este artículo explica también la creación del <em>ḥaras</em>, las cualidades de sus líderes y las armas que utilizaban. Este grupo tan importante ha recibido poca atención por parte de la investigación actual

Patronage and the Idea of an Urban Bourgeoisie

From the reports of travelers and historians, people learn of the crafting of beautiful rock crystal and metalwork objects in the Cairo bazaar and, during the later Mamluk period, of beautiful gilded and enameled glass being produced in commercial areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Given the diverse subject matter of the manuscripts, people may speak of a patronage base allying the intelligentsia to the merchant class within a more broadly conceived bourgeoisie, one whose interests and aesthetic preferences, as compared with those of the court, might be productively investigated through such illustrated manuscripts. One of the frontispieces of a wonderful illustrated manuscript contains clearly Christian iconographical elements, and among the Christian community of Iraq and Syria, people encounter ample evidence for the patronage and production of metalwork, ceramics, and gilded and enameled glass as well as manuscripts

al-Juz’ al-thānī min Jāmi‘ al-uṣūl fī aḥādīth al-rasūl, [14th century?].

Fine copy of a second volume of Majd al-Dīn al-Mubārak Ibn al-Athīr's ḥadīth collection opening in al-Kitāb al-thānī fī tilāwat al-Qurʼān ; ends abruptly and appears incomplete. Description provided by Noah Gardiner.Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 485Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; hand and paper seem to suggest 14th century.Accompanying materials: a. Inventory cataloguing slip in hand of Winifred Smeaton Thomas. -- b. Acquisitions slip from Yahuda.Former shelfmark: From foreedge label and inscription on interior of upper cover, "IL 68" (likely supplied by Yahuda, see acquisitions slip).Binding: Pasteboards covered in tan leather ; Type II binding (with flap) ; board linings in marbled paper (darkblue, pink, and yellow) ; upper and lower covers carry blind-stamped scalloped mandorla with vegetal composition (with vertical symmetry, no cloud bands apparent, compare Déroche class. OSv) ; sewn in white thread, two stations, some quires coming loose ; overall in good condition.Support: non-European (Arab) laid paper with 7 laid lines per cm. (vertical) and grouped chain lines visible but difficult to discern ; quite thick ; some bifolia splitting.Decoration: Section headings, subheadings, and abbreviations (mainly sigla) rubricated ; textual dividers in the form red discs.Script: Naskh ; clear Syrian or Egyptian hand, mainly sans serif (though occasionally appearing on medial alif) with mostly open counters ; text of ḥadīths vocalized.Layout: Written in 21-23 lines per page.Collation: IV (8), 7 V(78), V+2 (90), IV (98), VII+1 (113), 2+IV (123), IV (131), 1+V (142), V (152), IV (160), V (170), II (174), 2+V (186), II (190) ; front flyleaf has been pasted to opening leaf ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization.Explicit: "فان عبد الله بن عمر حدثه ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نزل عند سرحات عند يسار الطريق في مسيل دون هرشي ذلك المسيل لاصق بكراع هرشي [بينه وبين الطريق قريب من] غلوة وكان عبد الله يصلى إلى سرحة هي أقرب [السرحات إلى الطريق] وهي أطولهن وأن عبد الله ابن عمر حدثة أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم"Incipit: "صلى الله على سيدنا محمد وآله الكتاب الثاني في [تلاوة] القرآن وقراءته وفيه بابان الباب الاول في التلاوة وفيه ثلاثة فصول الفصل الاول في الحث عليها"Title from inscription on 'title page' (recto of flyleaf pasted to opening leaf, p.1).Ms. codex.Ḥājjī Khalīfah. Kashf al-ẓunūn,Brockelmann, C. GAL,Fine copy of a second volume of Majd al-Dīn al-Mubārak Ibn al-Athīr's ḥadīth collection opening in al-Kitāb al-thānī fī tilāwat al-Qurʼān ; ends abruptly and appears incomplete. Description provided by Noah Gardiner.Mode of access: Internet.Acquired in 1926 from the bookseller Isaac Benjamin S.E. Yahuda via purchase transacted on his behalf by Abraham Shalom Yahuda (1877-1951), his younger brother.Ownership statement on flyleaf pasted to opening leaf (p.1) reads "من فضل الخالق دخل ... عبد الخالق عفي عنه" ; also on p.1 collation statement indicating the number of quires and a note, possibly entered by a bookseller, indicating the year received (as a gift or donation) [?] ; numerous marginal notes and rubricated sigla (in the copyist's hand) referencing transmitters, ḥadīth collections, etc. ; many marginal corrections