The Charisma of Harun-al-Rashid, Sayf-al-Dawla and Sahib-Ibn Abbad and the Artistic and Scientific Prosperity of the Royal Court

Abu Mansoor Thaalabi refers to three royal courts of his era in his book “Yatimat Al-Dahr”: Harun-al-Rashid in Baghdad، Sayf-al-Dawla al-Hamadani in Aleppo، and Sahib-ibn Abbad in Rey. The first was a caliph، the second a king، and the third a vizier. The charisma and generosity of these three figures attracted a huge number of scholars، poets، writers and artists، which led to cultural and scientific developments. There are several Islamic–Arabic folklore stories referring to the heroic، superhuman and mythical characteristics of these figures. In this article، after providing a short biography، we would look at the sources of the charisma recorded in history. Among the sources، we can mention religiosity، knowledge، political skills، intellectual and religious tolerance، bravery in the battle fields، and having a good sense of literature. In spite of some negative characteristics attributed to them، they could benefit from the duality as another source of their charisma to influence the scholars. In fact، they could make best use of the power sources they enjoyed.