Harun al-Rashid (Fifth Abbasid Caliph)

Governing an empire spanning from the Atlantic coast of North Africa to Central Asia and India, Harun transformed Baghdad ("The Round City") into the undisputed cultural and intellectual capital of the globe. He financed vast translation movements of Greek, Persian, and Sanskrit scientific texts.

Alternating yearly between commanding military campaigns and leading the pilgrimage to Mecca, his court attracted poets, musicians, and inventors, leaving an immortal imprint upon world folklore and historical imagination.