Al-Karkh: the Development of an Imāmī-Shīʿī Stronghold in Early Abbasid and Būyid Baghdad (132-447/750-1055)
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Abstract
Following the foundation of Baghdad by Caliph al-Manṣūr (r. 136-158/754-775) in 145/762, the neighbourhood of al-Karkh attracted many Imāmī scholars, becoming the centre of the Imāmī wikāla (network of deputies of the Imām) in the late 3rd/9th century, and then the heart of the Imāmī ḥawza (seminary) and the rationalist school of theology which developed under the Būyids (333-447/945-1055). Al-Karkh also became the centre of a popular movement of Imāmī-Shīʿa; from the Būyid period onward, the latter played a significant role in the social and political life of the city until its fall under the Mongol invasion of 656/1258. From the point of view of the micro-history, this article investigates the incubation of the Imāmī-Shīʿī movement in this suburban area of the city, bringing together topography and social history data from medieval geography manuals, historical chronicles, local histories, biographical dictionaries, poetry, and travellers’ accounts. More than a quarter, al-Karkh acted as a city within Baghdad; repeatedly destroyed and burnt down, its history sheds light on urban life in the Abbasid capital, and on the development of Imāmī-Shīʿism during its formative period.
Résumé
Après la fondation de Bagdad par le calife al-Manṣūr (r. 136-158 / 754-775) en 145/762, le quartier d’al-Karkh a attiré de nombreux érudits imamites, devenant le centre de la wikāla imamite (réseau de lieutenants de l’Imām) à la fin du IIIe / IXe siècle, puis au cœur de la ḥawza imamite (séminaire) et de l’école rationaliste de théologie qui s’est développée sous les Būyides (333-447 / 945-1055). Al-Karkh est également devenu le centre d’un mouvement populaire shiʿite-imamite ; à partir de la période būyide, ce dernier a joué un rôle important dans la vie sociale et politique de la ville jusqu’à sa chute sous l’invasion mongole de 656/1258. Du point de vue de la micro-histoire, cet article explore l’incubation du mouvement shiʿite-imamite dans cette zone suburbaine de la ville en rassemblant des données de topographie et d’histoire sociale à partir de manuels de géographie, de chroniques historiques, d’histoires locales, de dictionnaires biographiques, de poésie, et de comptes-rendus de voyageurs médiévaux. Plus qu’un quartier, al-Karkh a agi comme une ville à l’intérieur de la ville de Bagdad ; détruit et incendié à plusieurs reprises, son histoire met en lumière la vie urbaine dans la capitale abbasside et le développement du shiʿisme imamite au cours de sa période formative.
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Al-Karkh: the Development of an Imāmī-Shīʿī Stronghold in Early Abbasid and Būyid Baghdad (132-447/750-1055)
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Abstract
Following the foundation of Baghdad by Caliph al-Manṣūr (r. 136-158/754-775) in 145/762, the neighbourhood of al-Karkh attracted many Imāmī scholars, becoming the centre of the Imāmī wikāla (network of deputies of the Imām) in the late 3rd/9th century, and then the heart of the Imāmī ḥawza (seminary) and the rationalist school of theology which developed under the Būyids (333-447/945-1055). Al-Karkh also became the centre of a popular movement of Imāmī-Shīʿa; from the Būyid period onward, the latter played a significant role in the social and political life of the city until its fall under the Mongol invasion of 656/1258. From the point of view of the micro-history, this article investigates the incubation of the Imāmī-Shīʿī movement in this suburban area of the city, bringing together topography and social history data from medieval geography manuals, historical chronicles, local histories, biographical dictionaries, poetry, and travellers’ accounts. More than a quarter, al-Karkh acted as a city within Baghdad; repeatedly destroyed and burnt down, its history sheds light on urban life in the Abbasid capital, and on the development of Imāmī-Shīʿism during its formative period.
Résumé
Après la fondation de Bagdad par le calife al-Manṣūr (r. 136-158 / 754-775) en 145/762, le quartier d’al-Karkh a attiré de nombreux érudits imamites, devenant le centre de la wikāla imamite (réseau de lieutenants de l’Imām) à la fin du IIIe / IXe siècle, puis au cœur de la ḥawza imamite (séminaire) et de l’école rationaliste de théologie qui s’est développée sous les Būyides (333-447 / 945-1055). Al-Karkh est également devenu le centre d’un mouvement populaire shiʿite-imamite ; à partir de la période būyide, ce dernier a joué un rôle important dans la vie sociale et politique de la ville jusqu’à sa chute sous l’invasion mongole de 656/1258. Du point de vue de la micro-histoire, cet article explore l’incubation du mouvement shiʿite-imamite dans cette zone suburbaine de la ville en rassemblant des données de topographie et d’histoire sociale à partir de manuels de géographie, de chroniques historiques, d’histoires locales, de dictionnaires biographiques, de poésie, et de comptes-rendus de voyageurs médiévaux. Plus qu’un quartier, al-Karkh a agi comme une ville à l’intérieur de la ville de Bagdad ; détruit et incendié à plusieurs reprises, son histoire met en lumière la vie urbaine dans la capitale abbasside et le développement du shiʿisme imamite au cours de sa période formative.
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