Al-Abbasiyya (), also known as Qasr al-Aghaliba (, 'the Aghlabid palaces') and al-Qasr al-Qadim (, 'the old palace'), was the first palace city and capital of the Aghlabid Emirs, which ruled

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...

from 800 to 909. Silver dirham of Abbasids minted in Abbasiyya

The city was built as a residence by the first Aghlabid emir, Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab (), in the first year of his governorship, and was named after his suzerain, the

Abbasid caliph The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The family came ...

. Its construction followed a long period of unrest by the populace of the old capital of Ifriqiya,

Kairouan Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( , ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661� ...

, during the 8th century. To reduce the threat of revolt, the new Aghlabid regime dismantled the walls of Kairouan, but also decided to move the residence of the government to a new location three miles southeast of Kairouan, which became al-Abbasiyya. Al-Abbasiyya was a fully functional city, with baths, inns, markets, and a brick-built

Friday mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...

. Its large

cistern A cistern (; , ; ) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster. Cisterns are disti ...

even supplied Kairouan with water. In the center of the city, near the palace of al-Rusafa (named after palaces in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

), was a large square (), where troop reviews took place. The city was walled and had several gates, manned by a special corps of freed slaves. From the outset, a mint for silver and gold coinage, as well as government factories producing

robes of honour A robe of honour (, plural , or , pl. or ) were rich garments given by medieval and early modern Islamic rulers to subjects as tokens of honour, often as part of a ceremony of appointment to a public post, or as a token of confirmation or accepta ...

and standards, were also established in the city. Al-Abbasiyya remained the residence of the Aghlabid emirs until 876/7, when a new palace city, al-Raqqada, some miles to the south, was established by Ibrahim II (). The city then declined in importance, although it was still inhabited until the invasion of Ifriqiya by the

Banu Hilal The Banu Hilal () was a confederation of Arab tribes from the Najd region of the central Arabian Peninsula that emigrated to the Maghreb region of North Africa in the 11th century. They ruled the Najd, and campaigned in the borderlands between I ...

in the mid-11th century.

References

Sources

* * {{coord missing, Tunisia 9th century in Ifriqiya 800 establishments Capitals in Africa Former populated places in Tunisia Kairouan Governorate Archaeological sites in Tunisia