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Caliph · 786 to 833

al-Ma'mun

Won the throne from his brother al-Amin and made Baghdad's House of Wisdom a great centre of translation and science. He also began the mihna, which tried to force scholars to say the Quran was created.

At a glance

Lived
786 to 833
Role
Caliph
Dynasty
Abbasid Caliphs
Era
The Abbasid golden age
Chapter
3. The Abbasids, the Crusades and the Mongols

Battles

  • 812 to 813
    Siege of Baghdad

    Victory for al-Ma'mun. Two sons of Harun al-Rashid fought over the throne.

al-Ma'mun's world

800: The Abbasid golden age

The Abbasids built a new capital at Baghdad in 762. Under Harun al-Rashid and al-Ma'mun, the House of Wisdom translated Greek, Persian and Indian science into Arabic, and al-Khwarizmi wrote the book that gave algebra its name. The four Sunni schools of law took shape in these years.

People of the same era

Dates for early figures are often approximate. Spotted a mistake? Tell us