Abbasid Empire Research Paper

Have you ever thought about how the Muslim culture grew so colossal? This was due to the vast Muslim empires that ruled during the Middle Ages that expanded land under Islam. One of these empires and perhaps the most impactful was the Abbasid Empire. The Abbasid Empire had a glorious reign as one of the most influential and longest dynasties. Their reign had a span of three centuries starting in 750 and ending in 1258. Their form of government, tactics for expansion, and reasons for decline were all unique to their empire. To start off, the Abbasids set up a dynasty to rule. Abbas al- Saffah was the first ruler of the Abbasids after they conquered the empire from the Umayyads. In order to do this though, the Abbasid empire relied immensely upon the Persians. The Persians merged with Abbasid forces to overcome the Umayyads in the Middle East. The Abbasids made their laws based on the Muslim religion, so the rules were connected to religious beliefs. The name was also derived from Abbas, who was Muhammad’s uncle. This made the Abbasids Sunni, which meant that they thought anyone who followed Islam could rule.

The first one they used was building a vast standing army. This standing army consisted of Muslims and mercenaries, who were paid to fight in the army. The army was placed at military posts throughout the empire to protect it at all times. Another tactic they used was a policy of inclusion. This was a policy declaring that all people were equal, and also encouraged Christians and Jews to participate in the government, ensuring the most talented people to run the empire. The last tactic that they used was moving the capital to the city of Baghdad in 762. Baghdad lay on old east-west trade routes, making it a prosperous city, and later became a major trading