Al-Muti' was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 946 to 974, ruling under the tutelage of the Buyid emirs. Al-Muti's reign represented the nadir of the Abbasid Caliphate's power and authority. In previous decades, the secular authority of the caliphs had shrunk to Iraq, and even there had been curtailed by powerful warlords; with the Buyid conquest of Baghdad, it was now abolished entirely. Al-Muti' was raised to the throne by the Buyids and was effectively reduced to a rubber-stamp figurehead, albeit with some vestiges of authority over judicial and religious appointments in Iraq. The very fact of his subordination and powerlessness helped restore some stability to the caliphal institution: in stark contrast to his short-lived and violently deposed predecessors, al-Muti' enjoyed a long and relatively unchallenged tenure, and was able to hand over the throne to his son al-Ta'i'. Al-Muti's prestige as the nominal leader of the Muslim world sharply declined during his tenure. (Full article...)
... that the buttocks of the fictional character Elastigirl inspired various memes, GIFs, and YouTube videos in 2018?
... that a young Donald Trump was sent to military school after his father found that he had been purchasing smoke bombs and switchblades in Manhattan?
... that Taylor Swift wrote a song about Elizabeth Taylor after learning that the late actress's son compared the two of them?
... that political strategist Morris Katz stated that any Democrat "who's scared to congratulate" Zohran Mamdani "is very unlikely to be the nominee for president in 2028"?
... that the painting The Death of Khan Jahan Lodi features six severed heads, and another in the midst of decapitation?
