Page:Baladhuri-Hitti1916.djvu/461

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The Founding of al-Kûfah
445

church built by Khâlid ibn-ʿAbdallâh … of the Bajîlah for his mother, who was a Christian.

Khâlid built shops, dug the canal called al-Jâmiʿ, and erected the Ḳaṣr Khâlid.

Sûḳ Asad, after Asad ibn-ʿAbdallâh, Khâlid's brother.

Ḳanṭarat [arch] al-Kûfah was built by ʿUmar ibn-Hubairah, and later repaired by Khâlid and others.

Al-Hâshimîyah. The following tradition was transmitted to me by abu-Masʿûd and others:—Yazîd ibn-ʿUmar ibn-Hubairah laid out a city in al-Kûfah on the Euphrates and occupied it before it was fully completed. He then received a letter from Marwân, ordering him to avoid the neighborhood of the people of al-Kûfah; and he, therefore, left it and built the castle known by the name of Ḳaṣr ibn-Hubairah near the Sûra bridge.

When caliph abu-l-ʿAbbâs came to power, he occupied this city, completed the erection of certain mansions [maḳṣûrahs] defended by walls in it, established new buildings and called it al-Hâshimîyah. People in general called it by its old name after ibn-Hubairah; and abu-l-ʿAbbas making the remark, "I see that the name of ibn-Hubairah will always cling to it", gave it up and established on a site opposite to it another city by the name of al-Hâshimîyah. After residing there for some time, he decided to settle in al-Anbâr, where he built his well-known city[1] in which he was buried.

Madînat as-Salâm. When abu-Jaʿfar al-Manṣûr became caliph, he occupied the city of al-Hâshimîyah in al-Kûfah after completing its erection, enlarging it and preparing it according to his own idea. Later, he abandoned it in favor of Baghdâdh, where he built his city. He founded Baghdâdh and called it Madînat as-Salâm,[2] and repaired its old

  1. Le Strange, Baghdâd, pp. 5–6.
  2. "The city of peace." Le Strange, p. 10.