Source: BBC Radio 4 "In Our Time"
December 31, 2069
The Abbasid caliphs were the dynastic rulers of the Islamic world between the middle of the 8th and the 10th centuries. They headed a Muslim empire that extended from Tunisia through Egypt, Syria, Arabia, and Persia to Uzbekistan and the frontiers of India. But unlike previous conquerors, the Abbasid caliphs presided over a multicultural empire where conversion was a relatively peaceful business. As Vikings raided the shores of Britain, the Abbasids were developing sophisticated systems of gover
