The Treasures of Harun al-Rashid
As I procrastinate writing a paper on Abbasid history, I thought the following may be a source of some amusement:
Al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi’ said, “When Muhammad al-Amin succeeded his father Harun al-Rashid as Caliph in the year 193 [809], he ordered me to count the clothing, furnishings, vessels, and equipment in the stores. I summoned the secretaries and storekeepers and continued counting for four months, during which I inspected treasures which I did not dream the caliphal stores contained. Then I ordered them to set down a total for each kind. The list of contents was as follows:
- 4,000 embroidered robes,
- 4,000 silk cloak lined with sable, mink, and other furs
- 10,000 shirts and shifts
- 10,000 caftans
- 2,000 drawers of various kinds
- 4,000 turbans (more…)
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