al-Mu'tadid's unbuilt academy plan
مشروع المعتضد لدور الصنائع والعلوم
Al-Maqrizi reports that the caliph al-Mu'tadid (279-289), planning his palace at al-Shammasiyya in Baghdad, ordered an extra measure of ground: he meant to build houses, dwellings and chambers appointing in each the masters of every craft and every school of the speculative and practical sciences, assigning them ample stipends so that whoever chose a science or craft would come to its master and learn from him — an early vision of a state academy of sciences and trades that was never carried out.
At a glance
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Al-Maqrizi reports that the caliph al-Mu'tadid billah (279–289 AH) wished to build his palace at al-Shammasiyya in Baghdad, and enlarged its area after he had estimated what he wanted. 1
When he was asked, he said that he wished to build in it houses and dwellings, and to place in each location the head of each craft and each theoretical and practical science, and to pay them stipends, so that every seeker might go to the head of what he chose and learn from him. 1
It was an early conception of a comprehensive house for the sciences and crafts, and it was never carried out. 1
Connections
- Related to
- المعتضد بالله
People and things also explored
هدم دار الندوة بمكة· منع المعتضد دكاكين الفلاسفة وقعود القصاص والمنجمين· عزم المعتضد على لعن معاوية على المنابر· إبطال المعتضد مراسم النيروز· زفاف قطر الندى إلى المعتضد· المعتضد بالله
Sources
- Duha al-Islam — Ahmad Amin (Hindawi 2012)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Mu'tadid's unbuilt academy plan”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/mashru-al-mutadid-lil-maahad/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.