Harun al-Rashid ( ,
Harun Ar-Rašid; 17 March 763 or February 766 — 24 March 809) was the fifth
Abbasid Caliph. His birth date is debated, with various sources giving dates from 763 to 766. His
surname translates to "the Just", "the Upright", or "the Rightly-Guided"; fully translated, his name means "Aaron the Just". Al-Rashid ruled from 786 to 809, during the peak of the
Islamic Golden Age. His time was marked by
scientific,
cultural, and
religious prosperity.
Islamic art and
music also flourished significantly during his reign. He established the legendary library
Bayt al-Hikma ("House of Wisdom") in
Baghdad in present-day
Iraq, and during his rule Baghdad began to flourish as a center of knowledge, culture and trade. During his rule, the family of
Barmakids, which played a deciding role in establishing the Abbasid Caliphate, declined gradually. In 796, he moved his court and government to
Ar-Raqqah in present-day
Syria.