After passing through a garden with lawns and palm trees protected with teak wood fences bound with gilt copper rings, they found themselves by large pool with a gold and silver tree standing in the middle, every branch having numerous twigs on which sat all kinds gold and silver birds The leaves of the tree move as the wind blows, while the birds pipe and sing. At last, after seeing 22 pavilions, the ambassadors were ushered into the presence of the Caliph Muktadir and his five sons. The Caliph was arrayed in gold embroidered silk and sat on an ebony throne. The ambassadors halted before him and stood in the posture of humility with their arms crossed ALKhatirs account of the Byzantine ambassadors visit to Baghdad in 917 Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1897 tr.G Le Strange,adapted