al-ʿAbbās b. al-Maʾmūn - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
[Article]
Turner, John P.
Leiden
Brill
(935 words)
Al-ʿAbbās b. al-Maʾmūn (d. 223/838) was the son of the caliph al-Maʾmūn (r. 198-218/813-33) and his concubine, Sundus. It is unclear whether he was ever formally designated heir apparent, but he was positioned to make a claim on the throne when his father died in 218/833. He first appears in al-Ṭabarī, who reports al-Maʾmūn's reaction to the news of the death of the caliph al-Amīn (r. 193-8/809-13) (3:1065). In 213/828 al-Maʾmūn made