Abbas (guard)

"You know him, Makira?"

―Abbas questioning Makira about Basim, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

Abbas was a guard working at the Harem in Baghdad during the 9th century.

Biography[edit | edit source]

In the 860s, Abbas worked at the harem in Baghdad's Round City, where he befriended several of the servants, including Makira. One day, a new eunuch, Basim Ibn Ishaq, arrived at the harem and Abbas was immediately suspicious of him, as he had never seen him before. Basim claimed he had been summoned by Farah and tried to convince Abbas to let him go, as he did not wish to be late, but the guard did not believe him.^[1]

At that moment, Makira walked by and Basim pretended to recognize her, complimenting her appearance. When Abbas asked Makira if she knew the eunuch, Makira told him to let Basim into the harem and the guard complied, though he continued to be suspicious of the supposed eunuch. In reality, Basim was a member of the Alamut Hidden Ones and had pretended to be a eunuch to infiltrate the harem.^[1]

Later, when Farah was found dead under mysterious circumstances, Abbas and another guard apprehended her fellow concubine Nasrin, who was believed to be the culprit. Nasrin tried to plead innocence, but as evidence found in her room suggested that she had poisoned Farah, the concubine was taken away by the guards to be punished accordingly.^[1]