The first Arab Caliphate after the death of the Messenger was the Umayyad Caliphate (661 AD - 750 AD). They were based in Damascus and Harran in Syria.
The second caliphate were the Abbasids (747 AD - 1261 AD ??) who were based in Baghdad and Khorasan. The Abbasid center of the universe was Khorasan which was a very old and wealthy Persian civilisation.
At that time the whole region of Baghdad and Khorasan until Sind in India was identified with the Persian empires, Persian language and Persian cultures. But of course the exact make up of the Persians was and is debateable.
Here is a map of Khorasan during the Abbasid Period.
In the east (Baghdad to Sind) the Abbasids were geographically located in an area that we also know today as Central Asia. Many of the people in Central Asia look like Genghis Khan or Kublai Khan (which we only know from drawings and paintings).
Anyway here are photographs of some paintings from the Abbasid Period (8th to 13th century AD) which I though are quite interesting. Fortunately, for the historical record, there are thousands of such paintings and illustrations which are available in various libraries, books, museums and research institutes.
Above : I dont know what this painting is about but notice the faces of the people. They are all Central Asian or Chinese. These were the earliest Muslims from the 8th century AD.
Below : I believe this is a painting of an early Abbasid Caliph. Again the characters all look Chinese / Central Asian.
Above and Below " More Chinese type characters from the early Abbasid Period.
Above : I believe there is a depiction of the fourth Caliph Ali in this painting.
Below : This painting shows the "Investiture of Ali". Investiture of what I dont know.
But all the characters in the painting, including Ali, look very Central Asian or Chinese. It is to be noted that the fourth Caliph Ali is said to have lived and died in the 7th century AD, before the Abbasid Empire which was founded in the 8th century. So this is just a painting, an artistic rendering.
- Above : More Chinese / Central Asian characters from the Abbasid Period.
- Below : A depiction of Baghdad's famous Baytul Hikmah or House of Wisdom which flourished during the Abbasid Caliphate. Again all the characters look Chinese.
Below here is a painting that was probably produced in the 14th century. It shows Mahmud of Ghazni receiving a robe of honour from the Abbasid Caliph al Qadir in the year 1000 AD. Note all the people in the painting. This means even as late as the 14th century, the Abbasids were being painted looking like Chinese / Central Asians.
- Above : Painting of the Abbasid "Chinese" Army establishing the Caliphate.
- Below : Painting of the Zodiac sign Sagittarius from the Abbasid Period. Sagittarius was Chinese?
Then the Turkish Ottoman Empire appeared in the early 14th century. It lasted until the 20th century - the longest lasting Caliphate. The Ottoman artists also began painting their version of historical figures. Below here is an Ottoman painting of the early Abbasid Caliph al Mamun. Notice that in this Turkish painting the Abbasid Caliph looks like a Caucasian or a Turk.
But the paintings from the earlier Abbasid Period (8th - 13th centuries) are far too numerous, they are from that period itself and most importantly they were painted by artists from the same geographical location of Khorasan / Baghdad. The faces depicted in the paintings tally with the surroundings.
I have read scholarly articles that the Abbasids in Baghdad and Khorasan were not Arabs. It is a fact that many of the early religious scholars were from the Abbasid Period and also that they were Persians and not indigenous Arabs.
The well known early writers like Abu Hanifa, Bukhari, Muslim, Tarmizi, Abu Dawood, Nesai, Ibn Majah and Imam Ghazali were all Persians. They were born in Khorasan between the 9th century AD and the 11th century AD - a span of almost 300 years. Except Abu Hanifa who was born in Kufa.
We can be absolutely certain that we do not have solid historical evidence to tell us what exactly happened such a long time ago. We are just guessing.
