The Portrayal of the Physical Characteristics of the Abbasid Caliphs in Historical Narratives (132–232 AH / 749–847 CE) An Analytical Study

Abstract

This study examines the portrayal of the physical characteristics of the early Abbasid caliphs during the period 132–232 AH / 749–847 CE in historical narratives. The research problem lies in determining the extent to which these descriptions can be relied upon as historical information, and in identifying the instances in which praise, exaggeration, or literary representation predominated. The study aims to define the nature and degree of these descriptions, compare them across different sources, and explain how they developed in the course of the transmission of historical reports, while also examining the purposes of historians in narrating such accounts about the early Abbasid caliphs.

The research questions focus on the extent to which the sources agree in their descriptions of physical characteristics, the cases in which exaggeration appears more clearly, and the degree to which the type of source and the narrative context influenced the formation of these portrayals. The study adopts a critical historical method, comparative textual analysis, and an examination of the contexts and development of the narratives. The findings reveal variation in both the degree and nature of exaggeration among the caliphs. It appears more prominently in the praise of beauty and majesty in the portrayals of Caliph Abu al-‘Abbas al-Saffah, Muhammad al-Mahdi, and Harun al-Rashid, whereas it is reflected in the amplification of physical strength in the portrayals of Caliph Musa al-Hadi, Muhammad al-Amin, and, most clearly, al-Mu‘tasim Billah. By contrast, the narratives concerning Caliph ‘Abd Allah al-Ma’mun and al-Wathiq Billah do not display equally prominent forms of physical exaggeration. The study concludes that such descriptions require a comparative and critical reading and should not be accepted as definitive historical facts without examining the date of the narrative, its context, and the nature of its source.