Abbasiyah bureau

The Abbasiyah bureau was a Hidden Ones bureau situated in the Yasiriyah region of Baghdad's southwestern Abbasiyah district. In the 860s, it was headed by Rafiq Tabid Al-Nubi.^[1]

History[edit | edit source]

In the 860s, after Caliph Al-Mutawakkil's murder,^[2] the Alamut Hidden Ones set up multiple bureaus to counter and eradicate the Order of the Ancients' influence across the city. By instruction, Tabid scouted the district and later set up a bureau in Abbasiyah.^[1] Ahmad ibn Musa also joined the bureau as its engineer but he later left for his workshop at the House of Wisdom, only to suddenly disappear from there a week later. At the bureau, Tabid received his fellow Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq and they discussed Ahmad's disappearance as well as the possibility of corruption within the House of Wisdom's staff before Basim left to investigate.^[3]

After Basim found Ahmad and assassinated the Order members Hassan^[4] and Zahra,^[5] he met with Tabid atop the bureau and they mused over who was leading the Order in Abbasiyah, which turned their attention on the famed scholar Fazil Fahim al-Kemsa. Although hesitant, Tabid instructed Basim to find evidence and strike only if he determined Fazil's culpability, then gave him a feather to mark with the target's blood.^[6] After determining Fazil's role in the Order and assassinating him,^[7] Basim returned to the bureau but was stopped by Nehal, who asked if their relationship was over. Basim assured her that he would be there for her before meeting with Tabid, during which he returned the bloodied feather, signaling the completion of his mission and thus eliminating the Order's influence over Abbasiyah.^[8]