The Story of the City of Brass

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, I shall recount to you the extraordinary tale of the City of Brass, a story that demonstrates the vanity of earthly power and the inevitable fate that awaits those who forget their dependence upon the Almighty.

During the glorious reign of the Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, when the Islamic empire stretched from the shores of the Atlantic to the mountains of Central Asia, there came to the Caliph’s court in Damascus a learned man whose tales of distant lands and ancient mysteries captivated all who heard him speak.

This scholar, whose name was Talib ibn Sahl, had spent his life traveling to the remotest corners of the earth, studying the ruins of vanished civilizations and collecting artifacts from peoples whose very names had been forgotten by history. His beard was white from years of desert sun, his eyes bright with the accumulated wisdom of countless journeys, and his memory stored more wonders than the libraries of Alexandria had ever contained.

“Commander of the Faithful,” said Talib ibn Sahl as he prostrated himself before the golden throne, “I have come from the farthest reaches of the Maghrib, where the desert meets the sea and the sand dunes shift like ocean waves across the bones of ancient cities. There, beyond the limits of the known world, I have heard tales of a city so magnificent that it surpasses even Baghdad in splendor, yet so cursed that no living creature can enter its gates and return unchanged.”

The Caliph Abd al-Malik, whose curiosity about the marvels of his vast domains was as great as his piety and wisdom, leaned forward with intense interest. “Tell us of this city, learned man. What makes it both magnificent and cursed?”

“Majesty,” replied the scholar, “the Bedouins who wander the deepest desert speak in whispers of a city built entirely of brass and copper, whose walls gleam like fire in the sunlight and whose towers pierce the sky like golden spears. They say it was built by King Sulayman—peace be upon him—to imprison rebellious djinn who had defied the will of Allah. Within its walls are treasures beyond imagination, but also dangers that have claimed the lives of every explorer who has attempted to penetrate its mysteries.”

The Caliph’s chief minister, Musa ibn Nusayr, a man renowned throughout the empire for his military prowess and administrative skill, spoke from his position beside the throne: “My lord, if such a city exists, it represents both an opportunity to recover lost knowledge and artifacts for the glory of Islam, and a duty to investigate whether these imprisoned djinn pose any threat to the faithful.”

Abd al-Malik nodded thoughtfully. “You speak wisely, Musa. The protection of our realm and the advancement of learning are both sacred responsibilities. We charge you to organize an expedition to locate this City of Brass and report on whatever you discover there. Take with you our finest scholars, our bravest warriors, and our most experienced guides.”

“I hear and obey, Commander of the Faithful,” replied Musa ibn Nusayr, already beginning to plan the logistics of such an ambitious undertaking.

The preparation for this expedition took several months, during which Musa assembled a company worthy of its extraordinary mission. He selected five hundred of the empire’s finest cavalry, men whose courage had been proven in countless battles and whose loyalty to the Caliph was absolute. To guide them through the treacherous desert, he recruited Abd al-Samad, the most skilled navigator in all the lands of Islam, a man who could find his way by the stars through any wilderness on earth.

For scholarly expertise, Musa chose Dr. Ibrahim ibn al-Khawwas, whose knowledge of ancient languages and lost civilizations was unmatched, and who carried with him translations of texts written by King Sulayman himself describing the construction of prisons for rebellious spirits. The expedition’s religious guidance was provided by Sheikh Abdullah al-Maghribi, a man of such piety and spiritual power that it was said even the djinn respected his authority.

In addition to these leaders, the expedition included skilled craftsmen capable of dealing with whatever mechanical devices or architectural puzzles they might encounter, physicians to treat any injuries or illnesses that might befall the company, and scribes to record every detail of their discoveries for the benefit of future scholars.

The caravan that departed from Damascus in the spring of the year was magnificent to behold—hundreds of camels carrying supplies for months in the desert, horses of the finest Arabian bloodlines, tents and equipment of the highest quality, and provisions that would allow the expedition to maintain the dignity appropriate to representatives of the Commander of the Faithful even in the remotest wilderness.

Their journey westward took them first through the settled provinces of Syria and Egypt, where they were received with honor by local governors and supplied with additional guides familiar with regional conditions. From Alexandria, they traveled along the Mediterranean coast to the limits of the civilized world, then turned south into the vast Sahara desert that stretched beyond the horizon like a sea of golden sand.

For forty days and forty nights, they traveled deeper into the wilderness, following ancient caravan routes that had not been used for generations. The heat during the day was so intense that the metal of their weapons and tools became too hot to touch, while the nights were so cold that water froze in the leather bags despite the warmth of their campfires.

Abd al-Samad proved to be a navigator of almost supernatural skill, guiding them by the positions of stars that were invisible to ordinary men and reading signs in the sand and wind that revealed the presence of water and safe campsites. Under his direction, they encountered none of the disasters that typically befell travelers in these trackless wastes.

On the forty-first day of their desert journey, as they crested a particularly high dune, the scouts who rode ahead suddenly halted and pointed toward the western horizon with expressions of amazement and fear. There, rising from the shimmering heat waves like a mirage made solid, stood the walls and towers of a city that gleamed with the fire of burnished metal.

“Behold,” whispered Abd al-Samad, “the City of Brass appears before us, just as the ancient texts described. Observe how its walls seem to capture and reflect the light of the sun, and how its towers soar toward heaven as if challenging the very sky.”

As they approached closer, the full magnificence of the city became apparent. The walls, which rose to heights that dwarfed even the greatest fortifications of Damascus or Baghdad, were constructed entirely of brass plates so perfectly fitted that not even a knife blade could penetrate the joints between them. The gates were crafted from solid copper and adorned with inscriptions in scripts so ancient that even Dr. Ibrahim required time to decipher their meanings.

The towers that punctuated the walls at regular intervals were marvels of architectural achievement, each one different from the others yet all contributing to an overall design of breathtaking beauty and mathematical precision. Some were cylindrical, others square or octagonal, and a few assumed shapes that seemed to follow geometric principles unknown to modern builders.

What struck the expedition members as most mysterious, however, was the complete absence of any signs of life. No smoke rose from cooking fires, no guards walked upon the walls, no sounds of human activity emanated from within the city. The brass and copper surfaces, despite their obvious age, showed no signs of corrosion or decay, as if time itself had been suspended within the city’s boundaries.

Musa ibn Nusayr ordered the expedition to make camp at a respectful distance from the walls while they studied the situation and planned their approach. Dr. Ibrahim spent hours examining the inscriptions on the nearest gate, slowly translating the ancient Arabic and Hebrew texts that covered its surface.

“These inscriptions,” he reported to the assembled leaders, “tell the history of the city and warn of the dangers within. According to what I can decipher, this city was built by order of King Sulayman to serve as a prison for djinn who had rebelled against Allah’s authority. The construction required the labor of thousands of human workers and countless obedient spirits, and its completion took seven years.”

Sheikh Abdullah al-Maghribi examined the religious aspects of the inscriptions and added his own interpretation: “The texts also contain prayers and incantations designed to contain the imprisoned spirits and prevent them from escaping or influencing events in the outside world. However, I perceive warnings that entering the city without proper spiritual preparation could result in madness or death for mortal visitors.”

Despite these ominous warnings, the expedition’s mission required them to enter the city and investigate its contents. Musa ibn Nusayr, after consulting with his advisors and conducting extensive prayers for divine protection, decided that a small party of volunteers would attempt to penetrate the city’s defenses while the main force remained in camp as a reserve.

The party chosen for this dangerous mission consisted of Musa himself, Dr. Ibrahim, Sheikh Abdullah, Abd al-Samad, and twenty of the most courageous warriors in the expedition. Each man was equipped with amulets and verses from the Quran designed to protect against supernatural influences, and all had volunteered for the mission despite understanding its risks.

Their first challenge was gaining entry to the city, for the great copper gates showed no visible means of opening, and the walls were too high and smooth to climb. Dr. Ibrahim’s study of the inscriptions revealed that the gates could only be opened by speaking the true names of the djinn imprisoned within, names that were hidden in coded messages carved into the metal.

After hours of careful analysis, Dr. Ibrahim identified the proper sequence of names and incantations. As he spoke the ancient words aloud, the massive gates swung open with a groaning sound like thunder, revealing the city’s interior for the first time in centuries.

What they found within exceeded their wildest expectations and most fearful imaginings. The city was indeed magnificent beyond description—its streets were paved with sheets of brass, its buildings constructed from various colored metals that created patterns of incredible beauty, and its public squares featured fountains carved from single blocks of precious stone.

Yet everywhere they looked, they saw evidence of the city’s dark purpose. Strange symbols were inscribed on every surface, creating an intricate network of protective spells and binding enchantments. The air itself seemed thick with supernatural energy, and several members of the party reported hearing whispered voices speaking in languages that human throats could never produce.

At the center of the city stood a palace of such grandeur that it rivaled the descriptions of Paradise itself. Its walls were covered with gold and silver inlays depicting scenes from the creation of the world and the rebellion of the djinn, while its towers were topped with crystal domes that captured and magnified the light of the sun.

As they approached the palace, the explorers discovered that the city was not entirely empty. In the streets and buildings, they found the preserved bodies of the human workers who had built the city, all of them apparently struck down by some mysterious force at the moment of the city’s completion. These corpses showed no signs of decay, as if the same supernatural influences that preserved the metal surfaces had also protected organic matter from the passage of time.

Within the palace itself, they discovered chambers filled with treasures that represented the accumulated wealth of the ancient world—chests overflowing with gems that sparkled like captured stars, shelves lined with scrolls containing lost knowledge of science and magic, and artifacts whose purposes could only be guessed at by modern scholars.

But the most remarkable discovery awaited them in the palace’s deepest chamber, a vast hall whose walls were lined with brass bottles sealed with lead plugs and marked with the seal of King Sulayman. Each bottle contained one of the rebellious djinn, imprisoned for their defiance of divine authority and condemned to remain trapped until the Day of Judgment.

Dr. Ibrahim examined the bottles with fascination and growing alarm. “According to the inscriptions,” he reported, “these djinn possess knowledge and power that surpass human understanding. Some were imprisoned for attempting to usurp Allah’s authority, others for corrupting human beings with false wisdom, and still others for trying to prevent the spread of true religion among mortals.”

As he spoke, one of the bottles began to glow with an inner fire, and a voice emerged from within that seemed to fill the entire chamber: “O mortals who have dared to enter our prison, know that we are the servants of King Sulayman who chose rebellion over obedience. For centuries we have waited for someone to release us from our bondage. Free us, and we will grant you power beyond your wildest dreams.”

Sheikh Abdullah immediately began reciting verses from the Quran designed to protect against demonic influence, while Musa ibn Nusayr drew his sword, though he knew that steel could not harm supernatural creatures. The voice continued its tempting offers, promising wealth, knowledge, and dominion over earthly kingdoms to anyone brave enough to break the seals.

“Do not listen to their lies,” warned Sheikh Abdullah. “These spirits were imprisoned by the wisest king who ever lived, and their release would bring calamity upon the world. We must resist their temptations and complete our mission without disturbing the divine justice that confines them.”

The expedition members spent three days exploring the city and cataloging its wonders, always careful not to disturb the imprisoned djinn or remove any artifacts that might be connected to the supernatural forces contained within the walls. They discovered libraries containing books written in scripts that predated all known writing systems, laboratories equipped with instruments for conducting alchemical experiments, and observatories where ancient scholars had mapped the movements of stars that were no longer visible from earth.

Throughout their exploration, they were constantly aware of the watchful presence of the imprisoned spirits, who attempted various forms of psychological manipulation to convince their visitors to break the seals. Some offered knowledge that would make the expedition members the greatest scholars of their age, others promised political power that would allow them to rule vast empires, and still others tempted them with the secrets of immortality and supernatural abilities.

Each temptation was more sophisticated than the last, carefully tailored to appeal to the specific desires and weaknesses of individual expedition members. The djinn demonstrated their knowledge of human nature by offering exactly what each man most wanted to hear, but Sheikh Abdullah’s spiritual guidance and the strength of their religious faith enabled them to resist these supernatural enticements.

On the morning of the fourth day, as they prepared to leave the city and return to their camp, the expedition made one final discovery that would haunt their memories for the rest of their lives. In a chamber hidden beneath the palace, they found the preserved body of a king seated upon a throne of solid emerald, surrounded by courtiers who had been turned to statues of precious metals.

Inscriptions around the chamber identified this figure as the last ruler of the civilization that had inhabited the city before King Sulayman’s intervention. The text told a story of hubris and divine judgment—how this king had claimed divinity for himself, commanded his subjects to worship him instead of Allah, and attempted to use captured djinn to extend his earthly power beyond natural limits.

As punishment for these blasphemies, Allah had turned the king and his court to stone at the very moment of their greatest triumph, preserving them as an eternal warning against the dangers of pride and the futility of trying to rival divine authority. The sight of these perfectly preserved figures, frozen forever in attitudes of arrogance and ambition, served as a powerful reminder of the temporary nature of all earthly power.

When the expedition finally departed from the City of Brass, they carried with them detailed maps and descriptions of everything they had observed, but they deliberately left behind all the treasures and artifacts they had discovered. Musa ibn Nusayr made this decision based on Sheikh Abdullah’s advice that removing anything from the city might weaken the supernatural barriers that contained the imprisoned spirits.

Their return journey to Damascus took two months, during which they encountered various adventures and obstacles that tested their courage and resourcefulness. They were attacked by desert bandits who sought to steal their supposed treasures, but when the attackers discovered that the expedition carried nothing but notes and maps, they concluded that the travelers were mad and left them alone.

They also faced terrible sandstorms that threatened to bury them alive, shortages of water that brought them to the brink of death, and attacks by wild animals that inhabited the remote regions through which they traveled. In each crisis, their faith and unity enabled them to overcome obstacles that would have destroyed a less prepared or less devoted company.

When they finally reached Damascus and were admitted to the presence of the Caliph Abd al-Malik, their report of the City of Brass created a sensation throughout the court. The detailed descriptions they provided were recorded by the court historians and became the foundation for countless subsequent tales and legends.

The Caliph was particularly impressed by their restraint in leaving the city’s treasures undisturbed. “You have demonstrated wisdom beyond your years,” he told Musa ibn Nusayr. “The temporary wealth of this world is worthless compared to the eternal consequences of releasing forces that Allah has seen fit to contain.”

Dr. Ibrahim’s scholarly analysis of the inscriptions and artifacts they had observed contributed significantly to the understanding of pre-Islamic civilizations and the history of supernatural forces in the world. His translations of the ancient texts became required reading for scholars throughout the Islamic empire and influenced theological discussions about the nature of divine justice and the limits of human knowledge.

Sheikh Abdullah’s spiritual insights from the expedition led to the development of new prayers and protective rituals for travelers venturing into regions where supernatural forces might be encountered. His experiences in resisting the temptations of the imprisoned djinn became the basis for training programs that prepared Islamic scholars and missionaries for dealing with various forms of spiritual corruption.

Abd al-Samad’s navigational achievements during the expedition established new techniques for desert travel that enabled subsequent explorers to venture into previously inaccessible regions. His maps and route descriptions became invaluable resources for merchants, pilgrims, and military commanders operating in remote areas.

The story of the City of Brass was retold countless times throughout the Islamic world, each telling emphasizing different aspects of its moral lessons. Some versions focused on the dangers of pride and the futility of trying to rival divine authority. Others emphasized the importance of spiritual preparation when confronting supernatural forces. Still others highlighted the value of scholarly curiosity balanced by religious wisdom.

In later generations, when other expeditions attempted to relocate the City of Brass, they found only empty desert where Musa ibn Nusayr’s maps indicated it should be. Some scholars theorized that the city appeared only to those whose spiritual preparation and pure intentions made them worthy of witnessing its wonders and warnings. Others suggested that Allah had concealed it again to prevent less worthy explorers from disturbing the imprisoned spirits or being corrupted by the treasures within.

The expedition members themselves lived long and honored lives, but all of them reported that their experiences in the City of Brass had fundamentally changed their understanding of the world and their place within it. They had seen evidence of the temporary nature of all earthly achievements and the eternal consequences of moral choices, lessons that influenced every decision they made for the rest of their lives.

Musa ibn Nusayr continued to serve the Caliph with distinction, but he never again sought glory or personal advancement. Instead, he focused on using his position to promote justice and religious education throughout the territories under his administration. His governorship became a model for Islamic leadership that balanced temporal authority with spiritual responsibility.

Dr. Ibrahim devoted the remainder of his career to studying the relationship between divine revelation and human knowledge, producing scholarly works that reconciled scientific inquiry with religious faith. His writings influenced educational policies throughout the Islamic world and established principles for ethical research that remained relevant for centuries.

Sheikh Abdullah became one of the most respected spiritual advisors of his generation, sought out by rulers and scholars who needed guidance in dealing with complex moral and religious questions. His teachings about resisting supernatural temptations and maintaining spiritual purity in the face of worldly pressures became standard elements of Islamic theological education.

Abd al-Samad trained a new generation of navigators and explorers, passing on not only technical skills but also the wisdom he had gained about the psychological and spiritual challenges of venturing into unknown territories. His students carried forward his techniques and principles to the farthest reaches of the known world.

Thus ends the tale of the City of Brass, a story that reminds us that the greatest treasures are not gold and jewels but wisdom and faith, that the most dangerous enemies are not external forces but the pride and greed within our own hearts, and that the true measure of an explorer’s success is not what he brings back from his journey but what he learns about himself and his relationship to the divine will that governs all existence.

The City of Brass stands eternal in the desert of moral choice that each soul must traverse, offering its temptations to every generation and testing whether human beings have learned to value spiritual truth above material wealth, eternal rewards above temporary pleasures, and divine approval above earthly acclaim.