BAGDAD. 
<h8 
the dungeon at night from under her matter's head, re¬ 
leafed the man, and rettored the key to its place while her 
matter flept. The next morning the governor found his 
prifoner gone ; which, being publicly known, railed great 
admiration ; Karmata’s adherents giving out that God 
had taken him into heaven. After this he appeared in 
another province, and declared, that it was not in the 
power of any perfon to do him hurt; notwithftanding 
which, his courage failing him, he retired into Syria, and 
vyas never heard of more. After his difappearance, the 
fedt continued and increafed ; his difciples pretending that 
their matter had manifefted himfelf to be a true prophet, 
and had left them a new law, wherein he had changed the 
ceremonies and form of prayer ufed by the Modems, &c. 
From this year, 278, thefe fedfaries gave almoft continual 
difturbance to the khalifs and their (ubjefts, committing 
great diforders in Chaldaea, Arabia, and Mefopotamia, and 
at length eftablilhed a conliderable principality. 
In the 279th year of the Hegira died the khalif A 1 
Motamed ; and was fucceeded by Al Motaded, who was 
Ion to Al Mowaffek. He carried on a war with the 
Karmatians, but very unfuccefsfully, his forces being 
defeated with great (laughter, and his general Al Abbas 
taken prifoner. This khalif alfo granted to Harun, Ion to 
Khamarawiyah, the perpetual prefecture of Awafam and 
Kinnifrin, which he annexed to that of Egypt and Syria, 
upon condition that he paid him an annual tribute of 
45,000 dinars. He died in the year of the Hegira 289, 
and was fucceeded by his foil Al Moctafi. 
This khalif proved a warlike and fuccefsful prince. He 
gained feveral advantages over the Karmatians, but was 
not able to reduce them. The Turks, however, having 
invaded the province of Mawarnalnahr, were defeated 
with great (laughter; after which, Al Modlafi carried on 
a fuccefsful war againft the Greeks, from whom he took 
Seleucia. After this he invaded Syria and Egypt, which 
provinces he recovered from the houfe of Ahmed Ebn 
Tolun. The reduction of Egypt happened in the 2g2d 
year of the Hegira, after which the war was renewed with 
Ificcefs againtt the Greeks and Karmatians. The khalif 
died in the 295th year of the Hegira, after a reign of about 
iix years and a half. Fie was the laft of the khalifs who 
made any figure by their warlike exploits. His fuccefRirs, 
Al Moktader, Al Kaher, and Al Radi, were fo deprefled 
by the Karmatians and other ufurpers, who were every 
day darting up, that, by the 325th year of the Hegira, they 
had nothing left but the city of Bagdad. In the 324th 
year of the Hegira, commencing November 30th, 935, the 
khalif Al Radi, finding himfelf diftretted on all (ides by 
ufurpers, and having a vizir of no capacity, inftituted a 
new office fuperior to that of vizir, which he intitled emir 
al-omra , or commandant of commandants. This great of¬ 
ficer was trutted with the management of all military af¬ 
fairs, and had the entire management of the finances in a 
much more abfolute and unlimited manner than any of the 
vizirs ever had. Nay, he officiated for the khalif in the 
great mofque at Bagdad, and had his name mentioned in 
the public prayers throughout the kingdom. In ttiort, 
the khalif was fo much under the power of this officer, 
that he could not apply a (ingle dinar to his own ufe with¬ 
out the leave of the emir al-omra. Finally, in the year 
325, the Modem empire, once fo great and powerful, was 
(hared among the following ufurpers. 
The cities of Wafet, Bafra, and Cufa, with the reft of 
the Ambian Irak, were confidered as the property of the 
emir al-omra, though they had been in the beginning of 
file year feized upon by a rebel called Al Baridi, who 
could not be driven out of them. The country of Pars, 
Farfeftan, or Pcrfia properly fo called, was polfetted by 
Amado’ddawla Ali Ebn Buiya, who redded in the city of 
Shiraz. Part of the traft, denominated Al Jcbal, together 
Perlian Irak, which is the mountainous part of Perfia, and 
the country of the ancient Parthians, obeyed Rucno’d- 
dowla, the brother of Amado’ddawla, who redded at If- 
paharn The other part of that country was poffeffed by 
Waffimakin the Deylamite. Diyar Rabia, Diyar Beer, 
Diyar Modar, and the city of Al Mawiel, or Moful, ac¬ 
knowledged for their fovereign a race of princes called 
Hamdanites. Egypt and Syria no longer obeyed the kha¬ 
lifs, but Mahomet Ebn Taj, who had formerly been ap¬ 
pointed governor of thofe provinces. Africa and Spain 
had long been independent. Sicily and Crete were go¬ 
verned by princes of their own choofing. The provinces 
of Khorafan and Mawaralnahr, were under the dominion 
of Al Nafr Ebn Ahmed, of the dynafty of the Samma- 
rians. The provinces of Tabreftan; Jorian, or Georgiana, 
and Mazanderan, had kings of the firft dynafty of the Dey- 
larnites. The province of Kerman was occupied by Abu 
Ali Mahomet Ebn Eylia Al Sammani, who had made 
himfelf matter of it a fhort time before. And the pro¬ 
vinces of Yamama and Bahrein, including the diftridt'of 
Hajr, were in the poffeflion of Abu Thaher the Karnia- 
tian. Thus the khalifs were infenfibly deprived of all 
their dominions, and reduced to the rank of fovereign 
pontiffs ; in which light, though they continued for fiome 
time to be regarded by the neighbouring princes, yet their 
power never arrived at any height. In this abjedl (late 
the khalifs continued till the year of the Hegira 656, com¬ 
mencing January 8th, 1258. This,year was remarkable 
for the taking of Bagdad by Httlaku the Mogul or Tar¬ 
tar; who abolifhed the khalifate, putting the reigning 
khalif, Al Moftafem Bilah, to a mod cruel death. Thele 
conquerors, after they had taken the city, maffacred, ac¬ 
cording to cuftom, a vaft number of the inhabitants ; and, 
after they had plundered it, fet it on fire. The fpoil 
they took was prodigioufiy great, Bagdad being then ac¬ 
counted the firft city in the world. 
Bagdad remained in the hands of the Tartars or Mo¬ 
guls till the year of the Hegira 795, or of Chrift 1392, 
when it was taken by Tamerlane, from Sultan Ahmed Fbn 
Weis; who, being incapable of making head againtt Ta¬ 
merlane’s numerous forces, fent his baggage over the Ti¬ 
gris, and abandoned his capital to the conqueror. He was 
purified to the plain of Karbella, where feveral (kirmiflies 
happened, and a confiderabie number of men were loft on 
both fides. Notwithftanding this difafter, he found means 
to efcape the fury of his purfuers, took refuge in t^e ter¬ 
ritories of the Greek emperor, and afterwards repofl'effed 
himfelf of the city of Bagdad. There he remained till 
the year of the Hegira 803, when the city was taken a 
fecond time by Tamerlane ; who, neverthelefs, rettored it 
to him, and he continued fovereign of the place till driven 
from thence by Mirarn Shaw. Still, however, he found 
means to return; but, in tiie 815th year of the Hegira, 
he was finally expelled by KaraYufef the Turkman. The 
defeendants of Kara Yufef continued matters of Bagdad 
till the year of the Flegira 875, of Chrift 1470, when they 
were driven out by Ufun Cullfin. The family of this 
prince continued till the year of the Hegira 9*4, A. D. 
1508, when lfhmael, furnamed Sufi or Soji, the firft prince 
of the royal family reigning in Iran or Perlia, till the de¬ 
throning of the late Shah Hofein, made himfelf mafter of 
it. From that time to the prefent, Bagdad has continued 
to be a bone of contention between the Turks and Per- 
fians. It was taken by Soiiman, furnamed the magnificent, 
and retaken by Shah Abbas the Great, king of Perfia : 
but being at length beiieged by Amruth or Morad IV. it 
was finally obliged to furrender to him in the year 1638 ; 
fince which time the Perfians have never been able to 
make themfelves matters of it for any length of time. 
The city, in its prefent date, is large and populous ; 
and the advantage of the Tigris is fo confiderabie, with 
regard to commerce, that, although the climate is excef- 
five hot, and in other refpefits far from being agreeable, 
yet the number of its inhabitants is computed at 300,000 ; 
but, before the plague had fo much ravaged there, they 
were (uppofed to be four times that number. It is go¬ 
verned by a bafhaw, whole authority expends as far as 
Courdiftan. The revenues would be immenfe were the 
government mild; but oppreffton ruies with the mod de- 
fpotic 
