Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (c. 714 – 775), known by his regnal name Al-Mansur, was the second caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 754 to 775. Al-Mansur was best known for his role in stabilizing and institutionalizing the dynasty, as well as founding the city of Baghdad, which served as the Abbasid capital for many periods of time until the Mongols sacked it in 1258.[1]
Biography[]
Al-Mansur succeeded his brother al-Saffah in 754. In his early years as caliph, Al-Mansur sought to stabilize and consolidate his power by eliminating potential rivals such as his uncle Abdullah ibn Ali and the Persian general Abu Muslim.[1] In 762, seeking to relocate the empire's capital away from the former Umayyad capital of Damascus, Al-Mansur led a reconnaissance of what is now modern central Iraq. Choosing a fertile plain by the Tigris river, he founded the core city of Baghdad, named after a village near the river which meant "God-given" in Persian. Al-Mansur named the city after himself as Madinat al-Mansur ("the city of Mansur"). Legend later held that the city walls were built where Al-Mansur used his sword to carve three concentric circles in the sand north of the ruined former capitals Seleucia-on-the-Tigris and Ctesiphon.[2]
Within the new city, Al-Mansur built his palace, large gardens, government offices, and military barracks. Keeping with the Roman traditions of city layout, he divided the circles into four quadrants by a cardo maximus and a decumanus maximus which lead to various parts of the Abbasid Empire upon leaving the city.[2]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage (first mentioned) (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Echoes of History (mentioned only)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
al-Mansur on Wikipedia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Database: Founding of Baghdad