Harun al-Rashid(هَارُون ٱلرَّشِيد)

Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd (commonly known as Hārūn al-Rāshīd, meaning "the Just" or "the Rightly-Guided") was the fifth Abbasid caliph who ruled from September 786 until his death in March 809. Born around 763 or 766, his reign is traditionally considered the beginning of the Islamic Golden Age. He established the legendary Bayt al-Hikma ("House of Wisdom") library in Baghdad, which helped transform the city into a world center of knowledge, culture and trade. During his rule, the influential Barmakid family gradually declined in power, and in 796 he relocated his court to Raqqa in present-day Syria. Harun continued many of his father Al-Mahdi's domestic policies, releasing imprisoned Umayyads and 'Alids and declaring amnesty for all political groups of the Quraysh. His reign saw major conflicts with the Byzantine Empire, and under his leadership, the Abbasid Empire reached its zenith. In 799, he received a Frankish mission offering friendship and sent impressive gifts to Charlemagne's court in return, including a remarkable clock that amazed the Frankish court. Harun features prominently in the fictional One Thousand and One Nights, and his life and court have inspired numerous tales, both factual and fictional.