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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

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Posted at Dec 10/2007 08:58AM:
ian: A major site on the Euphrates that was redeveloped by Harun al-rashid. Anyone interested in discussing why it was so important for thinking about Islamic urban design as well as the development of particular industries??? Had some pretty cool palaces as well.

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Posted at Dec 10/2007 09:13PM:
Gareth: Once a large city on the Euphrates River in Syria. Founded by the Seleucids as Kallinikos in the 3rd century CE, then traded back and forth between the Byzantines and the Sasanians until the 6th century CE. At this point a few Christian monasteries were built in the city. In the 7th century it was acquired by the Muslim empire and became known as ar-Raqqah. Its location (the crossroads between Syria and Iraq) played an important role strategically during the wars of the Umayyads. In the late 8th century a misr was “added” to the city, known as ar-Rafiqa. This eventually became part of the city proper and was thus the largest city in Syria. The Caliph at the time (Harun al-Rashid) moved his court to the new combined city (although Baghdad remained the administrative capital of the Abbasids). In the 9th century the court moved back to Baghdad and ar-Raqqah declined, eventually being destroyed during the Mongol invasion. The city, during its time as capital, was the site of much fanciful architecture, palaces and monuments. It became important again just before its fall, in the Ayyubid 12th and 13th centuries, where its industrial production saw the creation of more palaces and buildings (like Qasr al-Banāt) as well as many popular “Raqqa-wares.”