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Iraq (Mesopotamia), 500–1000 A.D.

• 
  Pair of doors, 9th century; ^cAbbasid
  Iraq
  Carved wood

  87 3/4 x 41 1/4 in. (222.9 x 104.7 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1931 (31.119.1,.2)

• 
  Bowl emulating Chinese stoneware, Abbasid period (750–1258), 9th century;
  Iraq, probably Basra
  Earthenware; painted in blue on opaque white glaze

  H. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm), Diam. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
  Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1963 (63.159.4)

• 
  Bowl, 10th century
  Iraq
  Composite body, luster-painted

  Gr. H. 2 5/16 in. (6.2 cm), Max. Diam. 9 5/16 in. (23.7 cm)
  Gift of Edwin Binney 3rd, and Purchase, Richard S. Perkins Gift, 1977 (1977.126)

• 
  Textile fragment, late 10th century; ^cAbbasid
  Probably Iraq
  Cotton, plain weave with painted inscription

  9 x 14 in. (22.9 x 35.6 cm)
  Gift of George D. Pratt, 1931 (31.106.32)

Mesopotamia

Iraq

Sasanian rule, 224–636/7

Rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, ca. 636/7–661

Umayyad rule, 661–750

^cAbbasid caliphate, 750–1258

Buyid dynasty, 945–1055

Maps

World Map / West Asia

• Overview
• Key Events
• Works of Art
• Related Content

In the early part of this period, Sasanians control most of Mesopotamia, which shares—to the west—an unstable border with Byzantium. In the seventh century, this area is conquered by Arab armies and transformed into the center of Islamic civilization. Under the ^cAbbasid caliphate, the newly founded capital, Baghdad, becomes the cultural and commercial capital of the Islamic world. The distinctive artistic language that develops in Baghdad and Samarra’ is emulated throughout the realm and greatly influences Islamic art.

• 500s Nestorian Christians, a sect of Christianity that diverged from the Byzantine church at the Council of Ephesus in 431, settle in large numbers throughout Sasanian-controlled land in eastern Mesopotamia. Attempts by the Byzantine state to gather support among these Christian communities meet with little success.

• 634–644 During the reign of Rightly Guided Caliph ^cUmar ibn al-Khattab, Arab armies under the banner of Islam conquer Mesopotamia, penetrating into Iran.

• 661 ^cAli ibn Abi Talib (r. 656–61), Muhammad's cousin, son-in-law, and last of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, is assassinated. His death triggers political and religious factionalism, especially in Iraq. Questions regarding succession lead to the development of Shiism, a sect of Islam that recognizes Muhammad's descendants through ^cAli and Fatima as the only legitimate heads of the community.

• 680 Husayn, the second son of ^cAli ibn Abi Talib, as well as his family and followers are killed in a battle against Umayyad forces at Karbala; the remembrance of this event and Husayn's martyrdom strengthen the Shi^ci cause.

• 750–1258 Under the ^cAbbasid caliphate, the focal point of Islamic political and cultural life shifts eastward from Syria to Iraq, where, in 762, Baghdad, the circular "City of Peace" (madinat al-salam), is founded as the new capital. During this period, a distinctive style emerges and a new artistic language is developed, which spread throughout the Muslim realm and greatly influence Islamic art. The first three centuries of ^cAbbasid rule are a golden age, with Baghdad as the cultural and commercial capital of the Islamic world.

• 786–809 The reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, often regarded as the apogee of ^cAbbasid power, witnesses unprecedented prosperity, with resources flowing into Baghdad from all over the Islamic world.

• 813–833 Under Caliph al-Ma’mun, literature, theology, philosophy, mathematics, and the natural sciences flourish. The remarkable cultural activity of the period is further enriched by the encounter with Greco-Roman, Persian, and Indian traditions and the translation of important texts into Arabic.

• 836–883 The ^cAbbasid caliph al-Mu^ctasim (r. 836–42) founds a city north of Baghdad called Samarra’, which replaces the capital for a brief period. New styles and techniques developed in Samarra’ are emulated throughout the ^cAbbasid realm.

• ca. 850 Due to internal conflicts, ^cAbbasid political unity begins to disintegrate and independent or semi-autonomous local dynasties (such as the Tulunids in Egypt) are established.

• 900–1000 As the ^cAbbasid caliphate centered in Baghdad weakens further, several Iranian dynasties gain control in the eastern Islamic provinces, limiting ^cAbbasid political power to Iraq.

• 945 The forces of the Buyid dynasty (932–1062) enter Baghdad; from this point onward, until the formal end of the dynasty in 1258, the influence of the ^cAbbasid caliphs is limited to the moral and spiritual spheres, as the heads of Orthodox Sunni Islam.

	Bowl emulating Chinese stoneware, Abbasid period (750–1258), 9th century; Iraq, probably Basra Earthenware; painted in blue on opaque white glaze; H. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm), Diam. 8 in. (20.3 cm) Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1963 (63.159.4)
	Bowl, 10th century Iraq Composite body, luster-painted; Gr. H. 2 5/16 in. (6.2 cm), Max. Diam. 9 5/16 in. (23.7 cm) Gift of Edwin Binney 3rd, and Purchase, Richard S. Perkins Gift, 1977 (1977.126)
	Ewer signed by Tayyib ibn Ahmad Barmasi, 9th century Probably Iraq Transparent pale yellowish green glass, body blown in mold with two vertical sections; handle applied; H. at thumb rest 4 3/8 in. (11.2 cm), H. at rim 4 1/4 in. (10.7 cm), Max. Diam. 2 1/2 in. (6.2 cm) Inscription (in kufic script): "That which was made for the [emir in Baghda(d)?] / the work of Tayyib ibn Ahmad Barmasi" Museum Accession (x.21.191)
	Goblet with incised designs, Abbasid period (750–1258), 8th–9th century Probably Iraq or Syria Glass, bluish green; blown, applied solid stem and blown foot; scratch-engraved; H. 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm), Diam. of rim (3 9/16 in. (9 cm) Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1965 (65.173.1)
	Pair of doors, 9th century; cAbbasid Iraq Carved wood; 87 3/4 x 41 1/4 in. (222.9 x 104.7 cm) Fletcher Fund, 1931 (31.119.1,.2)
	Panel, cAbbasid period (750–1258), early 9th century Iraq, Takrit Wood (teak), carved; H. 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm), W. 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm) Rogers Fund, 1933 (33.41.1a–e)
	Textile Fragment, 6th–7th century Iraq or Syria Silk; L. 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm), W. 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm) Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 1915 (15.109)
	Textile fragment, late 10th century; cAbbasid Probably Iraq Cotton, plain weave with painted inscription; 9 x 14 in. (22.9 x 35.6 cm) Gift of George D. Pratt, 1931 (31.106.32)
	Wall panel with a guinea fowl, ca. 6th century A.D.; Sasanian Mesopotamia, Ctesiphon Stucco; H. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm), W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm) Rogers Fund, 1932 (32.150.13)
	Woven Tapestry Fragment, Umayyad period (661–750), mid-8th century Iran, Iraq, or Egypt Wool; tapestry weave; L. 12 in. (30.5 cm), W. 18 3/4 in. (47.6 cm) Rogers Fund, 1950 (50.83)

Timelines

• Anatolia and the Caucasus, 500–1000 a.d.
• Arabian Peninsula, 500–1000 a.d.
• Central and North Asia, 500–1000 a.d.
• Iran, 500–1000 a.d.
• The Eastern Mediterranean, 500–1000 a.d.

Maps

• West Asia, 500–1000 a.d.
• World, 500–1000 a.d.

Lists of Rulers

• List of Rulers of the Islamic World
• List of Rulers of Byzantium

Index Terms

Art Movement/Style

• Abbasid Art in the Early Islamic Period
• Umayyad Art in the Early Islamic Period

Geography/Place

• Islamic World
• Iraq

Material and Technique

• Calligraphy from West Asia

Object

• Shallow Vessel from West Asia

Thematic Essays

• The Art of the cAbbasid Period (750–1258)
• The Art of the Fatimid Period (909–1171)
• The Art of the Mamluk Period (1250–1517)
• The Art of the Umayyad Period (661–750)
• Astronomy and Astrology in the Medieval Islamic World
• The Birth of Islam
• Blown Glass from Islamic Lands
• Byzantine Art under Islam
• Byzantium (ca. 330–1453)
• Calligraphy in Islamic Art
• Commercial Exchange, Diplomacy, and Religious Difference between Venice and the Islamic world
• Cut and Engraved Glass from Islamic Lands
• Glass with Mold-Blown Decoration from Islamic Lands
• Hot-worked Glass from Islamic Lands
• Islamic Art and Culture: the Venetian Perspective
• Jewish Art in Late Antiquity and Early Byzantium
• The Nature of Islamic Art
• Popular Religion: Magical Uses of Imagery in Byzantine Art
• The Roman Empire (27 b.c.–393 a.d.)
• Saints and Other Sacred Byzantine Figures
• The Sasanian Empire (224–651 a.d.)
• The Shah Jahan Album
• Vegetal Patterns in Islamic Art
• Venice and the Islamic World, 828–1797
• Venice's Principal Muslim Trading Partners: the Mamluks, the Ottomans, and the Safavids

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Citation

"Iraq (Mesopotamia) 500–1000 A.D.". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=06®ion=wam (October 2001)

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