From grand cities to groundbreaking discoveries, the Abbasid Caliphate transformed the Islamic world. Yet, even the most powerful empires must face decline.

Abu Zayd’s travel accounts reflect the Arab-Islamic drive under the early Abbasid dynasty to explore eastward and especially to connect to China. In the Accounts’ introduction, the second ...

Courtyard of Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo, Egypt. It was built in AD876 during the Abbasid dynasty. Muhammad later moved to the city of Medina and built a mosque (Islamic place of worship).