Changing Centres of Power

Abstract

This chapter examines how pre-Islamic elites survived into the ninth century and how ancient claims to ecclesiastical authority came into conflict with the new settlements created by the Arab conquerors of the Middle East. It describes the Kufa and Basra in southern Iraq and Fustat in Egypt as the most famous settlements, which were later joined by smaller centres such as Wasit, Merv, Shiraz, and Mosul. It also mentions conquerors in the amṣār that were paid cash stipends from the revenue generated by taxes, which in turn organized Islamic justice and governance. The chapter identifies three trends in the changing geography of power in the first three centuries of Arab rule in the Middle East. It includes the shift toward a small number of significant cities, the growing centralization of government, and the movement of the centre of power.