A Tale of Two Cities In the grand historical narrative of the Islamic world, two cities have stood out as dominant forces: Baghdad, the intellectual, cultural, and scientific hub of the Islamic Golden ...

They ruled for 500 years and led the Islamic world into a golden age. Then in a single siege, Baghdad was reduced to ruins ...

He also admires the Abbasids, the dynasty of caliphs who founded Baghdad in the 8th century. He models his justice system after theirs — using beheadings, stonings, and crucifixions.

Many years ago, the great city of Baghdad was ruled by a wise and kind Caliph. In the afternoons, the Caliph liked to walk through the marketplace. One day, he noticed a strange box being sold by ...