Baghdad

:For other meanings see Baghdad (disambiguation)

History

The city of Baghdad was founded on the west bank of the Tigris on 30 July 762 by the Abbasid dynasty, led by Caliph al-Mansur. The city was probably built on the site of an earlier Persian village. This city replaced Ctesiphon, the capital of the Persian Empire (which is located ca. 20 miles southeast of Baghdad), and Damascus, as the capital of a Muslim empire stretching from North Africa to Persia. The origin of the city's name is uncertain: some believe it is from the Persian for "God-given" derived from "bagh" (God) and "dad" (given), while others believe it is from an Aramaic phrase for "sheep enclosure." A circular wall was built around the town, and Baghdad became known as the "Round City."

Related Topics:
30 July - 762 - Abbasid dynasty - Caliph - Al-Mansur - Persian - Ctesiphon - Damascus - Muslim - North Africa - Persia - Persian - Aramaic - Sheep

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The roundness points to the fact that it was based on Persian precedents such as Firouzabad in Persia. The two designers who were hired by al-Mansur to plan the city's design were Naubakht, a former Persian Zoroastrian who also determined that the date of the foundation of the city would be astrologically auspicious, and Mashallah, a former Jew from Khorasan, Iran. (p 10)

Related Topics:
Firouzabad - Persia - Al-Mansur - Naubakht - Persian - Mashallah - Khorasan

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A Centre of Learning

Within a generation of its founding, Baghdad became a hub of learning and commerce. Some sources suggest that it contained over a million inhabitants, though others say the actual figure may have been only a fraction of this. A large portion of the population of Baghdad originated from all over Iran especially from Khorasan. Many of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights are set in the Baghdad of this period—dubbed Madinat as-Salam ("City of Peace") by Shahrazad—and feature its most celebrated ruler, the fifth 'Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.

Related Topics:
Commerce - Iran - Khorasan - The Book of One Thousand and One Nights - Shahrazad - Harun al-Rashid

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Baghdad was one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world, home to Muslims, Christians, Jews and pagans from across the Middle East and Central Asia.

Related Topics:
Christians - Jew - Pagan - Middle East - Central Asia

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Early Invaders

The city's population was between 300,000 and 500,000 in the 9th century. Baghdad's early meteoric growth slowed due to troubles within the Caliphate, including relocations of the capital to Samarra (during 808–819 and 836–892), the loss of the western and easternmost provinces, and periods of political domination by the Iranian Buwayhids (945–1055) and Seljuk Turks (1055–1135). Nevertheless, the city remained one of the cultural and commercial hubs of the Islamic world until February 10, 1258, when it was sacked by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan. The Mongols massacred 800,000 of the city's inhabitants, including the Abbasid Caliph Al-Musta'sim, and destroyed large sections of the city. The canals and dykes forming the city's irrigation system were also destroyed. The sack of Baghdad put an end to the Abbasid Caliphate, a blow from which the Arab civilization never fully recovered.

Related Topics:
9th century - Samarra - 808 - 819 - 836 - 892 - Iran - Buwayhid - 945 - 1055 - Seljuk Turks - 1135 - Commercial - February 10 - 1258 - Mongols - Hulagu Khan - Al-Musta'sim - Canal - Dykes - Irrigation - Sack of Baghdad - Arab

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At this point Baghdad was ruled by the Il-Khanids, the Mongol emperors of Iran. In 1401, Baghdad was again sacked by the Mongols, led by Timur ("Tamerlane"). It became a provincial capital controlled by the Jalayirid (1400–1411), Qara Quyunlu (1411–1469), Aq Quyunlu (1469–1508), and Safavid (1508–1534) dynasties. In 1534, Baghdad was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. Under the Ottomans, Baghdad fell into a period of decline, partially as a result of the enmity between its rulers and Persia. For a time, Baghdad had been the largest city in the Middle East before being overtaken by Constantinople in the 16th century. The Nuttall Encyclopedia reports the 1907 population of Baghdad as 185,000.

Related Topics:
Il-Khanids - Mongol - Iran - 1401 - Timur - Jalayirid - 1400 - 1411 - Qara Quyunlu - 1469 - Aq Quyunlu - 1508 - Safavid - 1534 - Ottoman Turks - Middle East - Constantinople - 16th century - Nuttall Encyclopedia - 1907

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Independence

Baghdad remained under Ottoman rule until the establishment of the kingdom of Iraq under British control in 1921, followed by formal independence in 1932 and full independence in 1946. The city's population grew from an estimated 145,000 in 1900 to 580,000 in 1950. During the 1970s Baghdad experienced a period of prosperity and growth because of a sharp increase in the price of petroleum, Iraq's main export. New infrastructure including modern sewage, water, and highway facilities were built during this period. However, the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s was a difficult time for the city, as money flowed into the army and thousands of residents were killed. Iran launched a number of missile attacks against Baghdad, although they caused relatively little damage and few casualties.

Related Topics:
Ottoman - Iraq - British - 1921 - 1932 - 1946 - 1900 - 1950 - 1970s - Petroleum - Export - Infrastructure - Sewage - Water - Highway - Iran-Iraq War - 1980s - Missile

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Conflict with the U.S.

The Persian Gulf War of 1991 caused severe damage to Baghdad, particularly its transportation, power, and sanitary infrastructure. However, President George H. W. Bush decided not to have U.S. troops advance to and capture Baghdad, thus leaving Saddam Hussein in power - perhaps in part because of the heavy civilian casualties that would likely have resulted from an attack on the city. President Bush also wished to avoid a costly occupation.

Related Topics:
Persian Gulf War - 1991 - President - George H. W. Bush - Saddam Hussein - Civilian

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Baghdad was bombed heavily in March and April 2003 in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and fell under US control by April 7-April 9. Additional damage was caused by the severe looting during the days following the end of the war. With the deposition of Saddam Hussein's regime, the city was occupied by U.S. troops. The Coalition Provisional Authority established a three-square-mile (8-km²) "Green Zone" within the heart of the city from which it ruled Iraq during the period before the new Iraqi government was established. The Coalition Provisional Authority ceded power to the interim government at the end of June 2004 and dissolved itself.

Related Topics:
2003 - 2003 invasion of Iraq - April 7 - April 9 - Looting - Saddam Hussein - U.S. troops - Coalition Provisional Authority - 2004

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On September 23, 2003, a Gallup poll indicated that about two-thirds of Baghdad residents said that the removal of the Iraqi leader was worth the hardships they encountered, and that they expected a better life in five years' time. As time passed, however, support for the occupation declined dramatically. In April 2004, USA Today reported that a follow-up Gallup poll in Baghdad indicated that "only 13 percent of the people now say the invasion of Iraq was morally justifiable. In the 2003 poll, more than twice that number saw it as the right thing to do."http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-04-28-poll-cover_x.htm

Related Topics:
September 23 - 2003 - Gallup - April 2004 - USA Today

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Most residents of Baghdad became impatient with the occupation because essential services such as electricity were still unreliable more than a year after the invasion. In the hot summer of 2004, electricity was only available intermittently in most areas of the city. An additional pressing concern was the lack of security. The curfew imposed immediately after the invasion had been lifted in the winter of 2003, but the city that had once had a vibrant night life was still considered too dangerous after dark for many citizens. Those dangers included kidnapping, sexual assault and the risk of being caught in fighting between security forces and insurgents.

Related Topics:
Electricity - Curfew - Night life - Kidnapping - Sexual assault - Insurgents

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August 2005 stampede

On August 31, 2005, at least 953 people died and 815 were injured after a , many falling from a bridge into the Tigris. The rush was caused by rumours of a suicide bomber.

Related Topics:
August 31 - 2005 - Tigris

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