Baghdad (the round city or the city of peace)
 |
| Baghdad the round city |
Before its establishment, Baghdad witnessed many ancient ancient civilizations, and after its construction it came to rule most parts of the world in the Middle Ages in an empire that extended from India and China in the east to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal in the west). It was replete with science, knowledge and wealth, and it was coveted by invaders since its establishment. It is currently the capital of The Republic of Iraq and its largest cities.
It was known by a number of titles, including “Dar al-Salam,” (the home of the peace) “City of Al- Mansour,” and “Capital of Al-Rasheed,” and it was also replete with a number of historical and cultural monuments.
Key takeaways
- Baghdad, before its construction by the Abbasid caliphs, was the cradle of Mesopotamian civilizations.
- The original city plan was circular in shape, earning it the nickname "The Round City." So it was famous for "The Round City" or "City of Peace".
- Historical Capital - Baghdad served as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate from 762 CE to 1258 CE.
- The Golden Age of Islam, its center was the city of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasids, and it was specifically in the first Abbasid era.
- The end of Baghdad was at the powers of the Mongols when they swept and destroyed it.
- Baghdad was gradually rebuilt in the centuries after the Mongol invasion,
- Modern City - Today, Baghdad is a sprawling, densely populated city
Baghdad before it was built by the Abbasids
The Encyclopædia Britannica says that archaeological evidence indicates that the site of Baghdad was inhabited by various peoples long before the Arabs entered Mesopotamia in 637 AD, and many ancient empires had capitals located in the vicinity, namely the Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian empires.
Contrary to popular belief, Baghdad is old but not ancient. Founded in AD762 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur “The Victorious” as the new seat of his Islamic empire, in Mesopotamian terms it is more arriviste than grande dame – an upstart compared to Nineveh, Ur and Babylon (seventh, fourth and third millennium BC respectively).
The original city plan
On 30 July 762, Caliph al-Mansur commissioned the construction of the city, which was supervised by the Barmakids. Al-Mansur believed that Baghdad would be the ideal city to serve as the capital of the Islamic empire under the Abbasids. Abu Jafar himself chose a high spot on the western side of the Tigris, where the River Rafel meets it, and decided to build his new capital on this spot.
The real foundation of the city dates back to 762 AD when the site, which lies between present-day Kadhimiya and Karkh and is occupied by a village called Baghdad, was chosen by the second Abbasid Caliph Abu Jaafar al-Mansur to build his capital. His city, “City of Peace,” was built within circular walls and was called “the Round City.
When it was built, Baghdad was more of a government complex than a residential city. Its diameter was about 2,700 meters and it had three walls. It housed the Caliph’s entourage, and four main roads connected the Caliph’s palace to the Great Mosque in the center and to various parts of the empire.
Although Baghdad was subjected to widespread destruction at the hands of the Mongols, it did not disappear from the events. It was rebuilt and played its historical roles in all different eras as the heir to ancient Iraqi civilizations, and as a source of cultural and religious heritage in the era of the Abbasid state. It is now the capital of the Republic of Iraq.
FAQ
The limited size of this city led to rapid expansion outside its walls as merchants built shops and houses around the southern gate and formed the Karkh district.
From the northeastern gate, the Khorasan Road was connected by a bridge of boats to the eastern bank of the Tigris.
Baghdad the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasids overthrew the Umayyad dynasty in 750 CE, supporting the mawali, or non-Arab Muslims Those who were persecuted by the Umayyads, by moving the capital to Baghdad in 762 CE.
Baghdad became the capital of the Abbasid Empire after Caliph Abu Jaafar al-Mansur completed its construction.
Baghdad is the golden age of Islam
By the eighth century, with western Europe suffering with its dark ages, the Islamic empire covered an area larger in expanse than either the Roman empire at its height or all the lands conquered and ruled by Alexander the Great, Or even in the Roman era, in its Western Roman or Eastern Byzantine eras, So powerful and influential was this empire that, for a period stretching over 700 years, the international language of science was Arabic.
From its founding in 762 as The City of Peace and a capital of Abbasid, Baghdad flourished as the political, cultural, religious, and commercial center of the Muslim empire. Abbasid caliphs ruled over diverse populations and tribes of Muslims, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and polytheists, whose ethnic identities ranged from Arab to Persian and Turkish to Berber—all of whom contributed to the brilliance of the greatest city of its time in the Middle East, if not the world. At its House of Wisdom, scholars from across the empire translated into Arabic, synthesized and advanced the fragmented literary and scientific knowledge of ancient Greece, Persia, and India. Chinese paper technology enabled Baghdad bookstores to sell thousands of books a day. Without this chapter in history, the inheritance of antiquity would likely have followed tortured paths to the present. Baghdad’s intellectual and cultural influence was extraordinary in its time, and its legacy—and mythologizing—in the west and east continues to this time.
Baghdad played a fundamental and important role in transferring the Greek, Roman and Persian heritage into the Arabic language and preserving it through the translation movement that was very active in the era of all the Abbasid caliphs, especially Caliph Al-Ma’mun, in whose era the translation movement was active, and for this purpose he established what is called the House of Wisdom. Europe benefited from the translation movement in the Renaissance era at the beginning of the modern age by transferring and translating all the world heritage preserved in the container of the Arabic language into Latin, and then it was reformulated in modern European languages.
Fall of Baghdad
In the second Abbasid era, the vast Abbasid Caliphate weakened as a result of the increasing influence of non-Arab elements, the Shiite and Kharijite revolts, and the emergence of independent states in Persia, Egypt, and the Umayyad state in Andalusia, which had been outside the control of the Abbasids since the beginning of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Mongol threat emerged from Mongolia in East Asia, before which all the lands of the Turks and Persia fell until it reached Baghdad, and it swept it in the era of the last Abbasid Caliph, Al-Musta'sim, in 1258 AD. They tortured and killed its people en masse, and burned the abundant libraries, large mosques, and schools of various kinds. Thus, Baghdad's control over the Islamic world ended, and the seat of the Caliphate was transferred to the city of Cairo.
Baghdad today
Although Baghdad was subjected to widespread destruction at the hands of the Mongols, it did not disappear from the events. It was rebuilt and played its historical roles in all different eras as the heir to ancient Iraqi civilizations, and as a source of cultural and religious heritage in the era of the Abbasid state. It is now the capital of the Republic of Iraq.
FAQ
What city was the Golden Age of Islam?
Baghdad was centrally located between Europe and Asia and was an important area for trade and exchanges of ideas. As resulting being the capital of Abbasid Scholars came from all over the world to live in Baghdad translated Greek texts and made scientific discoveries—which is why this era, from the seventh to thirteenth centuries CE, is named the Golden Age of Islam.
What is Baghdad best known for?
The city was founded in 762 as the capital of the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, and for the next 500 years it was the most significant cultural centre of Arab and Islamic civilization and one of the greatest cities of the world. It was conquered by the Mongol leader Hülegü in 1258.
How did the Islamic Golden Age fall?
In the 13th century, the Muslims faced a threat from the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, who had already conquered China. They invaded Baghdad and attacked the Muslims, destroying many of the Muslim's achievements beyond repair. The Islamic Golden Age ended with this, in 1258 CE.
