BAG 
fiphon, putting an end to his undertaking in the 149th 
■ year of the Hegira, or four years after the city was begun. 
From the building of the city of Bagdad to the death 
of A 1 Man fur nothing remarkable happened, except fome 
irruptions made into the territories of the Greeks, and by 
the Arabs into fome of the khalif’s other territories. In 
the 157th year of the Hegira alfo, a grievous famine was 
felt in Mefopotamia, which was followed by a plague that 
deftroyed great numbers. This year likewife, the Chrif- 
tians, who had been very feverely dealt with by A 1 Man- 
fur, were treated with the utmoft rigour by Mufa Ebn 
Mofab, the khalif’s governor; every one whp was unable 
to pay the enormous tribute exacted of them being thrown 
into prifon without diftindion. The next year, being the 
158th of the Hegira, the khalif fet out from Bagdad, to 
perform the pilgrimage to Mecca: but, being taken ill on 
the road, he expired at Bir Maimun, and his body was 
carried to Mecca; where, after 100 graves had been dug, 
that his feptilchre might be concealed, he was interred, 
having lived, according to fome fixty-three, according to 
others fixty-eight, years, and reigned twenty-two. He is 
faid to have been extremely covetous, and to have left in 
his treafury 600,000,000 dirhems, and 24,000,000 dinars. 
He is reported to have paid his cook by alligning him the 
heads and legs of the animals drefTed in his kitchen, and 
to have obliged him to procure at his own expence all the 
fuel and veffels he had occafion for. 
When A 1 Manfur expired at Bir Maimun, he had only 
his domeftics, and Rabi his frcedman, with him. The 
latter of thefe, for fome time, kept his death concealed, 
and pretended to have a conference with him; in which, 
as he gave out, the khalif commanded him to exadt an 
oath of allegiance to A 1 Mohdi his fon, as his immediate 
fuccedor, and to Ifa Ebn Mufa his coulin-german, as the 
next apparent heir to the crown. He then difpatclted a 
courier to Bagdad with the news of Al Manfur’s death; 
upon which Al Mohdi was unanimoufly proclaimed kha¬ 
lif. Ifa Ebn Mufa, however, no fooner heard this news, 
than he began to entertain thoughts of fettingup for him- 
felf at Cufa, where he then relided ; and, in order to fa¬ 
cilitate the execution of his fcheme, he fortified himfelf in 
that city. But Al Mohdi, being apprifed of his defection, 
fent a detachment of 1000 horfe to bring him to Bagdad ; 
which being done, Al Mohdi not only prevailed upon him 
to own his allegiance, but alfo to give up his right to the 
fucceflion for 10,000 according to fome, or according to 
others for 10,000,000, dinars. 
From the accellion of Al Mohdi, to the 164th year of 
'the Hegira, the mod remarkable event was the rebellion 
of Al Mokanna. This hnpoftor, vvhofe true name was 
Ha/iern Ebn Hejham, came originally from Khoralan, and 
had been.an under fecretary to Abu Modem, governor of 
that province. He afterwards turned foldier, and palled 
thence into Mawaralnahr, where he gave himfelf out for 
a prophet. The name of Al Mokanna, as alfo that of 
Al Bcrkai, that is, the ‘veiled,’ he took from his cudom 
of covering his face with a veil or girdle malk, to conceal 
his deformity ; having lod an eye, and being olhervvife of 
a defpicable appearance; though his followers pretended 
he did this for the fame reafon that Moles did, viz. led the 
fplendour of his countenance fliould dazzle the eyes of 
his beholders! In fome places he made many profelytes, 
by deluding the people with a number of juggling tricks, 
and particularly by caufing the appearance of a moon to 
rife out of a well for many nights together; whence he 
was called, in the Perfian tongue, Sazendeb mak, or the 
-‘moon-maker.’ Not content with being reckoned a pro¬ 
phet, he arrogated to himfelf divine honours; pretending 
that the Deity relided in his perfon, having proceeded to 
him from Abu Modem, in whom he had taken up his refi- 
•dence before. At lad he ventured into open rebellion 
again!! the khalif, and made himfelf matter of feveral for¬ 
tified places in Khorafan, fo that Al Mohdi was obliged 
to fend an army againd him. Upon the,approach of the 
'khalif’s troops, Al Mokanna retired into one of his firong 
Vol. II. No. 92. 
D A D. 6,3 
fortrefles, and fent his emiflaries abroad to perfuade the 
people that he railed the dead to life, and foretold future 
events. But, being clofely belieged by the khalif’s forces, 
and feeing no podibility of efcaping, he gave poifon in wine 
to his whole family and ail that were with him in the cadle; 
when they were dead, he burnt their bodies, with all their 
furniture, provifions, and cattle; and ladly, he threw him¬ 
felf into the flames, or, as others fay, into a tub of aqua¬ 
fortis, which conlumed every part of him except the hair- 
When the befiegers therefore entered the place, they found 
no living creature in it, except one of Al Mokanna’s con¬ 
cubines, who, fufpebting hisdeiign, had hid herfelf, and 
now difcovered the whole matter. All this time war had 
been carried on with the Greeks, but without any re¬ 
markable fuccefs on either fide. In the 164th year of the 
Hegira, however, Al Mohdi ordered his (on Hariia Al 
Ralhid to penetrate into the Greek territories with an ar¬ 
my of 95,000 men. Harun, having entered the dominions- 
of the emprels Irene, defeated her armies, and laid watte 
feveral of the imperial provinces with fire and fword, and 
even threatened the city of Conltantinople. By this the 
emprefs was fo terrified, that fhe purchased a peace with 
the khalif by paying him an annual tribute of 70,000 pieces 
of gold. After figning the treaty, Harun returned home 
laden with fpoils and glory. 
In the 169th year of the Hegira, Al Mohdi was poi- 
foned, though undefignedly, by one of his concubines 
named Halanah. She had defigned to deflroy one of her 
rivals, whom (he imagined to have too great an aTcendant 
over the khalif, by giving her a poifoned pear. This tlic 
latter, not fufpeding any tiling, gave to the khalif ; who 
had no fooner eaten it than he.felt himfelf in exquifite tor¬ 
ture, and toon after expired. On the death of Al .Mohdi, 
lie vvas fucceeded by his eldeft Ion Al Hadi; who haying 
formed a delign to deprive his younger brother Harun Al 
Ralhid of his right of fuccelfion, and even to aflaiHiiafe 
him, was poiloned by his vizir in the 170th year of the 
Hegira ; and on his death the celebrated khalif Harun A! 
Ralhid afcended the throne. This was one of the belt 
and wifefi princes that ever fat on the throne of Bagdad. 
He was extremely fortunate in all his undertakings, and 
in his time the Modem empire may be laid to have been 
in its molt flourilhing date. He polfelied the provinces of 
Syria, Paieftine, Arabia, Perfia, Armenia, Natolia, Media 
or Aderbijan, Babylonia, Aflyria, Sindia, Sijiflan, KI10- 
rafan, Tabreflan, Jorjan, Zableftan or Sableftan, Mawa¬ 
ralnahr or Great Bukharia, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, 
&c. fo that his empire was at that time by far the mod 
powerful of any in the world. 
In the 186th year of the Hegira, beginning January 
10th, 802, the khalif divided the government of his ex - 
tenfive dominions among his three fons in the following 
manner : To Al Amin the elded, he afligned the pro¬ 
vinces of Syria, Irak, the three Arabias, Mefopotamia, 
Aflyria, Media, Paleftine, Egypt, and all that part of 
Africa extending from the confines of Egypt and Ethio¬ 
pia to the ftraits of Gibraltar, with the dignity of khalif; 
to Al Mamun the fecond, he afligned Perfia, Kerman, the 
Indies, Khorafan, Taberftan, Cableftan, and Zableftan, 
together with the province of Mawaralnahar ; and to his 
third fon Al Kafem, he gave Armenia, Natolia, Jorjan, 
Georgia, Circaflia, and all the Modem territories border¬ 
ing upon the Euxine fea. As to the order of fucceflion, 
Al Amin was to afeend the throne immediately after his 
father’s deceafe ; after him, Al Mamun; and then Al 
Kafem, whom he had furnamed AL Mutaman. 
The mod conliderable exploits performed by this khalif 
were in his wars again!! the Greeks, who by their perfidy 
provoked him to make war upon them, and whom he al¬ 
ways overcame. In the 187th y^ar of the Hegira, the 
khalif received a letter from the Greek emperor Nicepho¬ 
ros, commanding him to return all the money he had ex¬ 
torted from the emprels Irene, though that had been fe- 
cured to him by the treaty concluded with that, princefs, 
or expert foon to fee an imperial army in the heart of .'his 
7 R dominions. 
