The Abbasid family were caliphs (rulers) of an Islamic empire that extended from present-day Spain in the west to India in the east. The Abbasids were Arabs and members of the tribe of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, the Muslim religion. The Abbasids made their capital near the small village of Baghdad in what is now Iraq.<NP> Under them, Baghdad grew into a city of more than 1 million people and became a world center of trade and culture. Art and architecture flourished in the Abbasids' empire, and Arab scholars mastered many fields of study.<NP> For more information, see the section <I>The Islamic World</I> in WORLD, HISTORY OF THE.
