The Khuld Palace () was one of the principal caliphal palaces in

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 ...

during the early

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

History

was founded in 762 by the second

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 ...

al-Mansur Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ‎; 714 – 6 October 775) usually known simply as by his laqab al-Manṣūr () was the second Abbasid caliph, reigning from 754 to 775 succeeding his brother al-Saffah (). He is known ...

(). The main part of the original city was the Round City, with the first caliphal palace, the

Palace of the Golden Gate The Palace of the Golden Gate () or Palace of the Green Dome () was the official caliphal residence in Baghdad during the early Abbasid Caliphate. Baghdad was founded in 762 by the second Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur (). The main part of the origina ...

, at its centre. In 773, al-Mansur began construction of another palace on an elongated, mile-long stretch of land between the walls of the Round City and the western bank of the

Tigris River The Tigris ( ; see below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, before merging ...

. The palace and its extensive gardens was located between the Round City's Khurasan Gate and the western entrance of the city's Main Bridge of Boats leading across the Tigris. Al-Mansur reportedly chose this site because at this spot the Tigris bank was the highest above the river, and thus protected the palace from the ubiquitous insects along the river bank. The site was noted for its fresh air. It was named "Palace of Eternity" (''Qaṣr al-Khuld'') from a passage in the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

alluding to

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

, the "Palace of Eternity promised to the God-fearing", because its gardens were said to almost rival the garden of Paradise. According to

Ya'qubi ʾAbū al-ʿAbbās ʾAḥmad bin ʾAbī Yaʿqūb bin Ǧaʿfar bin Wahb bin Waḍīḥ al-Yaʿqūbī (died 897/8), commonly referred to simply by his nisba al-Yaʿqūbī, was an Arab Muslim geographer. Life Ya'qubi was born in Baghdad to a fam ...

, before the palace was a large review ground, adjacent to the royal stables. While the Palace of the Golden Gate was the official caliphal residence, after the Khuld Palace was inaugurated in 775 al-Mansur as well as his successors up to

Harun al-Rashid Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd (), or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Hārūn al-Rāshīd (), was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 unti ...

() frequently used both residences, with Harun reportedly favouring the Khuld during his stays in Baghdad. The palace, like the nearby

Palace of Zubaydah A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, suffered extensive damage from stone missiles during the

Siege of Baghdad (812–813) The siege of Baghdad was a part of a Fourth Fitna, civil war between al-Amin and al-Ma'mun for the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad. The siege lasted from August 812 until September 813. The siege is described in great detail by Muhammad ibn Jarir al- ...

. The Khuld Palace was likely in ruins at the end of the siege, although at least one source claims that

al-Ma'mun Abū al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Hārūn al-Maʾmūn (; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun (), was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. His leadership was marked by t ...

() stayed there when he came to Baghdad in 819, before the

Hasani Palace The Hasani Palace () was the first caliphal palace to be built in East Baghdad, and the main residence of the Abbasid caliphs in the city during the 9th and 10th centuries. As such it formed the nucleus around which a large complex of palaces and ...

was prepared for his residence. Following the move of the capital to

Samarra Samarra (, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and mi ...

under

al-Mu'tasim Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd (; October 796 – 5 January 842), better known by his laqab, regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (, ), was the eighth Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842. ...

(), the remains of the structure further decayed, and it remained in a ruined state until 979, when the

Buyid The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...

ruler

'Adud al-Dawla Fannā (Panāh) Khusraw (), better known by his laqab of ʿAḍud al-Dawla (; 24 September 936 – 26 March 983) was an emir of the Buyid dynasty, ruling from 949 to 983. At the height of his power, he ruled an empire stretching from Makran ...

decided to build the

Al-'Adudi Hospital The Al-'Adudi Hospital was established during the era of organized hospitals developed in medieval Islamic culture. Some of these early hospitals were located in Baghdad and among those was the bimaristan Al-'Adudi. The hospital came to be when Ki ...

on its site.

References

Sources

* * {{coord, 33, 21, N, 44, 22, E, display=title, type:landmark 775 establishments Buildings and structures completed in the 8th century Abbasid palaces in Baghdad Former palaces