A.D. 224 and spread. It included parts of what are now Turkey
and India—a vast domain. Persia reached its height in the
early seventh century A.D., when it bounded the Black Sea to
the north.
Soon afterward, Persia was conquered by Arab invaders.
They made their capital in what is now Baghdad, an ancient
city on the Tigris River that today is the capital of Iraq. The
Arab ruler, called a caliph, summoned master artisans—silver-
smiths, woodcrafters, sculptors, glassmakers—and architects
from across the Arab domain to develop Baghdad into one
of the most magnificent centers of power the world has
ever known. Baghdad assumed a round shape, two miles in
diameter. The royal palace at its center was built of marble,
topped with a dome of gold to command the awe of citizens
and visitors alike. Inside were the most intricate carpets, inlay,
and works of art.
Visitors from near and far flocked to the capital. Baghdad
became a center of caravan trade for the entire region. Scholars,
artists, and astronomers were drawn to it. The caliphs brought
musicians, poets, and storytellers to entertain at court.
Variations of some of their handed-down tales eventually
were compiled and published in France:The Thousand
Nights and a Nightis famous today as The Arabian Nights.
Baghdad became known as a grand city of enlightenment.
To the rest of the world, a mention of Persia or Arabia
evoked delighted visions of exotic music and dance, genies
in bottles, jolly slaves and bakers in billowy trousers, dragon
slayers, treasure-laden camel caravans arriving via the Silk
Route from distant China, black-mustachioed cavalrymen
brandishing scimitars, stellar night canopies above enchant-
ing city skylines of domes and minarets, and harems of
beautiful young women.
But the Arabs introduced something quite different and far
more enduring than a kingdom of opulence. A new form of
religion, Islam, replaced that of the Persian prophet Zoroaster.
In time, the caliph became regarded as Islam’s spiritual leader.
The “Land Between East and West” 9