crossroads of East and West, drew that trade into a wider network. All of Iraq
participated in the commercial buoyancy. A treatise on trade, probably from this
period, listed Iraqi imports:
From India are imported tigers, panthers, elephants, panther skins,
rubies, white sandal, ebony, and coconuts. From China are imported silk
[textiles], [raw] silk, chinaware, paper, ink, peacocks, racing horses,
saddles, felts, cinnamon, Greek unblended rhubarb... racing horses,
female slaves, knickknacks with human figures... hydraulic engineers,
expert agronomists, marble workers, and eunuchs. From Arabia: Arab
horses, ostriches, pedigreed she-camels... From Egypt: trotting
donkeys, suits of fine cloth, papyrus, balsam, and—from its mines—
topazes of superior quality. From the land of the Khazars [on the lower
Volga River]: slaves of both sexes, coats of mail, [and] helmets.^5
Brilliant porcelains from China inspired Islamic artisans to add tin to their own glazes
to achieve a bright white color, over which they added decorative motifs. Dining off
ornate plates and bowls, pouring their water from richly decorated pitchers, the
Islamic upper and middle classes could boast splendid tableware. (See Plate 3.3.)
Their clothes, made of richly woven fabrics, were luxurious as well. Wall-hangings
and rugs adorned their homes, and elaborately carved censers spread their perfume.
