Palace of the Green Dome

The Palace of the Green Dome (Arabic: قصر القبة الخضراء), also known as the Caliphal Palace^[1] or the Palace of the Golden Gate (Arabic: قصر باب الذهب)^[2] was the residence of the Abbasid caliph and the royal family in Baghdad. Located at the center of the Round City, it was surrounded by lush gardens with a number of official and military buildings in the surrounding complex.

History[]

In the 860s, the Zanj rebels led by Ali ibn Muhammad planned to attack the palace to capitalize on the caliphate's political instability caused by Abu 'Abdallah and al-Musta'in's fighting for the throne.^[3] After learning that Qabiha, the late caliph al-Mutawakkil's concubine, was the Order of the Ancients' leader in Baghdad, the Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq decided to infiltrate the palace to eliminate her.^[4]

Taking advantage of the Zanj rebels' attack on the complex, Basim opened the palace's gates to let the rebels in so that they would create as much chaos as possible and allow him to reach Qabiha undetected. Once inside the palace, Basim encountered both Abu 'Abdallah, who told him where he could find Qabiha, and the concubine's servant Makira, whom he tailed to Qabiha's study. After unlocking the entrance to Qabiha's hideout, Basim confronted and chased her to the palace's bathhouse.^[4]

When Qabiha revealed her knowledge of Basim's true nature, the Hidden One was hesitant to kill her, prompting his master Roshan, who had secretly followed him, to assassinate the Order leader instead. Following an argument between Basim and Roshan, the latter left the palace after warning her apprentice against investigating a temple in Alamut that Qabiha had told him about. Basim was ultimately able to escape the palace as well, though not before Abu 'Abdallah had alerted the guards to his presence, causing them to pursue the Hidden One.^[4]