Definition: The Abbasid Dynasty ruled the Arab world between 758-1258 AD, and so is considered the medieval period for Islamic civilization. Their ascendancy moved the power focus of the Arabic world from a Semitic world in Arabia and Syria with a capital in Damascus, to the Iranian or Persian world in Iraq, with the new capital in Baghdad.
Sources
Insoll, Timothy. 2003. Archaeology of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cambridge World Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge.
Meloy, John L. 1996. Islamic Civilization. pp. 355-357 in The Oxford Companion to Archaeology, edited by Brian Fagan. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Alternate Spellings: 'Abassid
Examples:
al Rafiqa (Syria), Samarra (Iraq), Husn al Qadisiyah (Iraq), Humayma (Jordan)
