Sea of the Caliphs: The Mediterranean in the Medieval Islamic World

411 Pages·2018·29.86 MB·English

by  Christophe Picard

SEA OF THE CALIPHS

S E A O F T H E C A L I P H S
The Mediterranean in the Medieval Islamic World
CHRISTOPHE PICARD
Translated by Nicholas Elliott
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THE BELKNAP PRESS OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, Mas sa chu setts London, England
2018
Copyright © 2018 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca
First printing
This book was originally published in French as La mer des califes:
Une histoire de la Méditerranée musulmane, VIIe– XIIe siècle,
copyright © Editions du Seuil, 2015.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Picard, Christophe, author.
Title: Sea of the caliphs : the Mediterranean in the medieval
Islamic world / Christophe Picard ; translated by Nicholas Elliott.
Other titles: Mer des califes. En glish.
Description: Cambridge, Mas sa chu setts : The Belknap Press of
Harvard University Press, 2018. | “This book was originally published in
French as La mer des califes: Une histoire de la Méditerranée musulmane,
VIIe–XIIe siècle, copyright (c) Editions du Seuil, 2015”— Title page verso. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017025099 | ISBN 9780674660465 (alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Mediterranean Region— History—476–1517. |
Islamic Empire— History, Naval. | Sea- power— Islamic Empire. |
Abbasids— History, Naval. | Shipping— Mediterranean Region—
History. | Navigation— Mediterranean Sea— History. |
Muslims— Mediterranean Region— History.
Classification: LCC DS37.8 .P52813 2018 | DDC 909/.0982201— dc23
LC rec ord available at https:// lccn. loc. gov /2 017025099
Jacket design: Jill Breitbarth
Jacket illustrations: (above): Sailing boat on the Euphrates, from The
Maqamat (The Meetings) by Al-Hariri, c. 1240 (gouache on paper),
Al-Wasiti, Yahya ibn Mahmud (13th century)/Bibliotheque Nationale,
Paris, France/Photo © AISA/Bridgeman Images; (below): detail from the
Catalan Atlas, 1375 (vellum), Abraham Cresques (1325–1387)/Bibliotheque
Nationale, Paris, France/Bridgeman Images
To Manuela, Benjamin, Alexandre
My profound gratitude to Annliese Nef, Françoise Micheau,
and Patrick Boucheron
for their support and advice
CONTENTS
Introduction: The End of the Moorish and
Saracen Pirate? 1
I. The Arab Mediterranean between Repre sen ta tion
and Appropriation
1 The Arab Discovery of the Mediterranean 17
2 Arab Writing on the Conquest of
the Mediterranean 37
3 The Silences of the Sea: The Abbasid Jihad 65
4 The Geographers’ Mediterranean 85
5 Muslim Centers of the Western Mediterranean:
Islam without the Abbasids 98
6 The Mediterranean of the Western Caliphs 112
7 The Western Mediterranean: Last Bastion of
Islam’s Maritime Ambitions 152
CONTENTS vii
II. Mediterranean Strategies of the Caliphs
8 The Mediterranean of the Two Empires 185
9 Controlling the Mediterranean:
The Abbasid Model 204
10 The Maritime Awakening of the Muslim West 237
11 The Maritime Imperialism of the Caliphs in the
Tenth Century: The End of Jihad? 256
12 Islam’s Maritime Sovereignty in the Face of
Latin Expansion 274
Conclusion: The Medieval Mediterranean and
Islamic Memory 287
Notes 295
Glossary 319
Chronologies 323
Selected Bibliography 325
Index 377
The Mediterranean in the ninth century
ANGLO-SAXON
STATES
SLAVIC PEOPLES
D anube
OGHUZ TURKS
CHARLEMAGNE’S AVARS
EMPIRE
ASUTMUARYIAYSADS OF BarcLealo Gnaar8d0e2-Freinet Rome CROATSDanBubUeLGARIANSConstantinopleBlack Sea Trabzon KEHMAPAZITRRAifMlERisE NIA AKHrWaAlR OSExZeuMasTRANSOSXyIr ADaSNraiAamarkand
CÓRDOBA Sardinia Bukhara
756 Balearic 827 BYZANTINE
Islands AZERBAIJAN Caspian SAMANIDS
Seville CórdobaAlgiers 709 Tunis Sicily EMPIRE Tarsus Tigris Mosul Sea Nishapur TAHIRIDMServ 875 Balkh
IDRIFSeIzDS RUS7TT7Ai7MarIeDtSAGH8L0A0BIDS KairouanMeditSeerraanean C8r2e7te Cyprus AleDpapmoasEcuuphsratesIRAQSBaamghaHdraramadadan Rey KHORASAN 821
Tripoli
788
Isfahan
Kandahar
BARCA Jerusalem
Alexandria Basra SISTAN
Fustat Shiraz SAFFARIDS
TUL8U6N9IDS FA 867 Indus
RS
Nile BAHRAIN KERMAN
EGYPT
Medina
Daybul
Muscat
Borders of the Abbasid caliphate in 800 QARMATIANS
R late 9th century
e
Actual territory of the Abbasids c. 875 d Mecca
S
e
Autonomous dynasties (date of autonomy) a
Other independent emirates
INDIAN
Expeditions aimed at conquest OCEAN
ZAIDIS
c. 900
The Mediterranean in the ninth century
ANGLO-SAXON
STATES
SLAVIC PEOPLES
D anube
OGHUZ TURKS
CHARLEMAGNE’S AVARS
EMPIRE
ASUTMUARYIAYSADS OF BarcLealo Gnaar8d0e2-Freinet Rome CROATSDanBubUeLGARIANSConstantinopleBlack Sea Trabzon KEHMAPAZITRRAifMlERisE NIA AKHrWaAlR OSExZeuMasTRANSOSXyIr ADaSNraiAamarkand
CÓRDOBA Sardinia Bukhara
756 Balearic 827 BYZANTINE
Islands AZERBAIJAN Caspian SAMANIDS
Seville CórdobaAlgiers 709 Tunis Sicily EMPIRE Tarsus Tigris Mosul Sea Nishapur TAHIRIDMServ 875 Balkh
IDRIFSeIzDS RUS7TT7Ai7MarIeDtSAGH8L0A0BIDS KairouanMeditSereraanean C8r2e7te Cyprus AleDpapmoasEcuuphsratesIRAQSBaamghaHdraramadadan Rey KHORASAN 821
Tripoli
788
Isfahan
Kandahar
BARCA Jerusalem
Alexandria Basra SISTAN
Fustat Shiraz SAFFARIDS
TUL8U6N9IDS FA 867 Indus
RS
Nile BAHRAIN KERMAN
EGYPT
Medina
Daybul
Muscat
Borders of the Abbasid caliphate in 800 QARMATIANS
R late 9th century
e
Actual territory of the Abbasids c. 875 d Mecca
S
e
Autonomous dynasties (date of autonomy) a
Other independent emirates
INDIAN
Expeditions aimed at conquest OCEAN
ZAIDIS
c. 900