As an ardent fan of history-inspired games, I am over the moon that the next installment in the Assassin‘s Creed franchise will fully immerse players in the turbulent world of the medieval Abbasid Caliphate. Assassin’s Creed Mirage promises a stealth-driven playground set in the bustling Round City of Baghdad during its 9th century CE golden age under Islamic rule.
We step into the shoes of emerging Hidden One Basim, wield our iconic hidden blade, rub shoulders with eminent scholars or mysterious underground agitators. As we traverse the vibrant urban landscape during the 860s-870s era of political instability, our assassination missions and investigations promise to unveil this pivotal period of Baghdad‘s past in all its chaotic glory.
The Crumbling Abbasid Superpower in 9th Century Iraq
As the game opens, the once mighty Abbasid dynasty that ruled over the Islamic empire for over a century has begun declining despite its prior golden age. After Abu al-Abbas as-Saffah seized control as the first Abbasid Caliph in 750 CE, the early rulers consolidated territorial control and made Baghdad a center of wealth, culture and scientific progress.
But by the mid-9th century, a combination of civil wars, family power struggles, political intrigue and separatist movements have weakened the Caliphs‘ grip over the sprawling empire. Regional governors carve out virtual fiefdoms while usurper warlords eye the Abbasid throne in Baghdad itself.
It is amidst this backdrop that the teenaged Al-Mu’taz Lidin’ila abruptly takes over as Caliph in 866 CE. However, this young ruler‘s authority depends heavily upon his ruthless brother Al-Muwaffaq leading the palace‘s private armies into battle during a destructive civil war against their uncle Al-Musta‘in, who refuses to relinquish his own claim over the Caliphate.
Territorial fragmentation around Abbassid realm by latter half of 9th century. Credit: Gabagool on Wikipedia
This key power struggle provides great potential for conspiracy, shifting alliances and tradecraft for Basim to leverage towards his own coming-of-age aims. Especially when by 869 CE, Caliph Al-Mu‘tazz‘s abrupt assassination sets off a dizzying carousel of forgettable Abbassid figureheads seizing and losing power in rapid succession.
For nearly a decade hence, no Caliph manages to hold onto power or contain the dissolution of centralized control. Their constant scuffles and the regime‘s resulting impotence creates a volatile yet fertile environment for our hidden ones to conduct an open war.
Opposing them is the sinister Order of the Ancients who likely infiltrate the nobility, religious circles and merchant guilds to spread their totalitarian ideology in a chaotic land. This power vacuum also allows other fringe agitators to foment unrest against established authorities from secret mountain or desert redoubts.
The Slave Uprising Leader‘s Enigmatic Origins
One such mysterious rabble-rousing figure known as Ali Ibn Muhammad al-Fatimi casts an imposing shadow over events in 860s Baghdad. Modern scholars remain uncertain regarding his early background and life prior to notoriety. Contemporaneous chronicler Al-Tabari refers to him in passing as hailing from the ‘Land of Zanj‘ – likely denoting East Africa.
Some speculate Ali may have been abducted in his youth from the Swahili Coast as part of the lucrative slave trade across the Indian Ocean to markets in the Abbasid Caliphate. Others posit potential noble heritance or mercenary training that empowered his future daring exploits.
The slave trade supplying able-bodied East Africans to the Abbasid realms
In 868 CE, Ali ibn Muhammad launches an open rebellion against Baghdad‘s authority by leveraging grievances of the Zanj agricultural slave class dwelling in the salt flats of Lower Iraq. From his secure base in Ahvaz, the charismatic commander‘s liberation theology and disciplined forces swell rapidly to overthrow local elites.
Ali soon carves out a shadowy ‘Zanj‘ breakaway statelet thriving upon the lucrative maritime trade around the Persian Gulf. Fearing mass slave defections from privotal sectors, a desperate Caliph Al-Muhtadi finally deploys royal armies to crush the Zanj seditionists by 883 CE. This ruthless 15-year conflict ravaged Iraq‘s economy and enabled Ali near-victory until internal disunity and counter-espionage precipitated his downfall.
For lore purposes, I envision this imposing subaltern freedom fighter possibly possessing secrets of Eden like the fabled Koh-i-Noor diamond or wielding First Civilization tools to rally oppressed peoples against tyranny. Basim likely pursues hidden motives in joining or sabotaging Ali‘s cause while also eliminating high-ranked Ancient adversaries pulling strings within the Abbasid court.
Peerless Historian Al-Tabari Documents the Age of Uncertainty
The most definitive accounts from Baghdad‘s inner sanctums during this pivotal century emerge from one Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (839-923 CE). Considered one of Islam‘s greatest early historians, his unparalleled scholarly output delves into lineages of kings, accounts of prophets, biographical dictionaries and most pertinent for us – the history of Mesopotamia‘s dynasties.
Al-Tabari produced over 40 major works in his long career with diligent methodology of aggregating oral testimonies and written material like palace memoires, royal decrees, biographies of nobles and provincial administrative records. For modern researchers, his 10 volume Annals of the Mesopotamian Dynasties chronicles the Abbasid civil wars, obscure rulers and parade of treacherous viziers clinging onto power between 833-892 CE.
This intricately researched contemporaneous account serves as an invaluable roadmap to the shadowy political events, court gossip and princely conspiracies that may feature as Mirage‘s own historical backbone. As someone granted access to the Caliph‘s closest advisors and living through the chaos himself, al-Tabari‘s writing frames broader societal perspectives on the power wrangles that Basim navigates.
I envisage this venerated scholar may even directly guide our protagonist as a first-civilization Sage with deeper insight or serve as quest giver for recovering Abbasid artifacts. Through his life‘s work, future Assassins like Desmond Miles would better grasp this chaotic age and its key neuralgic historical pressure points.
Roaming Across Baghdad‘s Round City
No historical treatise on the mid-9th century Caliphate is complete without hard data on its bustling capital Baghdad‘s architecture and urban design. Conceived of as the definitive ‘Round City‘, Caliph Al Mansur launches this monumental project in 762 CE to inaugurate the new Abbasid imperial center. Situated strategically on the fertile banks of the Tigris River, the vast metropolis rapidly swells over a 30 year construction cycle into the world‘s largest city by the age of Mirage.
Baghdad‘s circular footprint stretches around 6 kilometers in diameter within triple-tiered fortified walls named Kufa, Damascus and Khurasan. I postulate that free running across rooftops to reach mission locations while blending into the maze of densely packed neighborhoods offers great stealth sandbox potential.
Interactive Round City map – hover over quarters for historical details
The city‘s concentric urban zoning reflects the real-world Muqaddam satellite model implemented meticulously by lead architect Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf based on circular plans of Persian and Hellenic origin. The central Golden Gate Palace compound houses Abbasid royalty and the Grand Mosque precinct for solemnstate affairs.
In the adjoining wards are administrative quarters for viziers, military elites and the jund – palace guard troops playing a Kingmaker role during Caliphal power struggles. Further out lies the university complex nurturing pioneering advances in astronomy, medicine and geometry that contribute to Islam‘s golden age.
Beyond the ivory towers, most of Baghdad‘s million inhabitants dwell in thriving merchant precincts with caravanserais, taverns, learned salons and public baths. Our sojourns across this 24-hour timescale breathing city hinge on blending into diverse clusters like the textile souks, coppersmith bounds and canal-side storehouses.
I believe this exceedingly rich recreation of Abbassid Baghdad around 875 CE truly elevates Mirage as an formative historical chapter for both immersed fans and newcomers uninitiated into this storied creed universe.
Conclusion: A Fertile Cradle for Our Creed
From ruling out of the impregnable ‘Round City‘ to patronizing intellectual luminaries like Al-Tabari and withstanding rebellions by enigmatic figures like Ali ibn Muhammad, the Abbasid Caliphate around 870 CE proves a turbulent historical stage. This volatile milieu serves as an ideal crucible for our bold Assassins to launch their winning ideological counter-move against the villainous Order of the Ancients in Baghdad.
Indeed, Mirage‘s premise opens up so much core tenet lore potential across dynastic feuds, subterfuge in the Golden Gate Palace quarters and working with resistance groups coalescing in the mazelike city districts. I for one cannot wait to follow Basim al-Basim‘s inaugural exploits through this formative era where a fragile brotherhood first strikes roots in the House of Islam by wielding their iconic hidden blades.
Whether tailing targets through the kaleidoscopic souks or stalking Ancient conspirators in the bustling Abbasid court, expect copious parkour moments to traverse buildings, monuments and tunnels where history truly ‘comes alive‘. Indeed with iOS compatibility for gaming on the go, I eagerly await every second spent exploring this faithfully recreated Baghdad realization once Mirage launches for all creed loyalists to relish!