The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (6 page)

r, founded the city of Baghd
d. One of the most famous of the ‘Abb
sid caliphs was H
r
n al-Rash
d (764–809 (AH 147–194); his splendid court is reflected in
The Thousand and One Nights
). His son al-Ma‘m
n (813–33 (AH 198–218)) founded the
Bayt al-
ikma
(house of wisdom) for the translation from Gk. of classical texts of philosophy, science, and medicine. Under the ‘Abb
sids, the
Mu‘tazilite
school of theology enjoyed a brief period of supremacy, but the more orthodox schools eventually regained their dominant place. Although the ‘Abb
sids were the nominal rulers throughout the Muslim empire, various dynasties gained effective control of parts of this vast region. The Buwayhids, from Persia, actually entered Baghd
d and controlled affairs from 945 (AH 334) for just over a century. The
F
imids
in Egypt, a
Sh
‘a
dynasty, took power in 909 (AH 297) but were finally ousted by the Ayy