born March 763 or February 766, Rayy, Iran
died March 24, 809, Ṭūs, Iran
Fifth caliph of the
Neither a great ruler nor a prepossessing character, Hārūn ruled (786–809) at a time when Islamic society reached its zenith in terms of wealth, learning, and power. He is best remembered, however, as a central character in The Thousand and One Nights , where he is portrayed as the epitome of the learned and just ruler. In his early years he was strongly influenced by his mother and by his tutor Yaḥyā of the {{link=Barmakid">Barmakid line of viziers. He succeeded his brother after the latter's untimely death and ruled over a realm that was torn increasingly by strife, as regional leaders sought autonomy. On his death, his sons al-Maʾmun and al-Amīn fell into open civil war.