What accounts for the disruption of the agricultural economy of the Abbasid Empire?
a. Spiraling taxation, the destruction of the irrigation works, and pillaging by mercenary armies led to destruction and abandonment of many villages.
b. The government ordered regions of the empire populated by Shi'as abandoned.
c. The decline of the cities led to a fall in the demand for food supplies and consequent drops in agricultural prices.
d. The ayan class began to import large numbers of slaves to work the land.
e. Progressive desiccation of the region led to a diminution of the land available for agriculture.
Answer: A