( Tigris River )
Baghdād or Bagdad, capital of Iraq, in central Iraq, on the Tigris River.
Baghdād is the center of air, road, and railroad transportation in Iraq.
It is the leading manufacturing city of the country, with oil refineries, food-processing plants, tanneries, and textile mills.
Among the handcrafted wares produced in Baghdād are cloth, household utensils, jewelry, leather goods, felt, and rugs, which may be purchased in the bazaars.
Consisting of rows of small shops or stalls, these bazaars have long been a feature of the city.
( University of Baghdad )
Educational institutions in the city include the University of Baghdād (1957), al-Mustansiriyah University (1963), and the University of Technology (1974).
Among the noteworthy historical structures of Baghdād is the ruins of Bab al-Wastani, the last remaining of the famous gates of Baghdād, which has been converted into an arms museum.
( The Abbasid Palace )
Other notable buildings are the Abbasid Palace, which probably dates from 1179, the al-Mustansiriyah, a college founded in 1232 (both restored as museums), and the Mirjan Mosque, completed in 1358.
A few miles north of Baghdād is Kazimayn, notable for its magnificent gold-domed mosque (completed in the 19th century) and the tombs of religious leaders venerated by the Shia Muslims.
Baghdād was built by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur in 762 on the western bank of the Tigris River, opposite an old Iranian village also named Baghdād.
The original city was round, with three concentric walls. The innermost wall enclosed the palace of the caliph, the second wall defined the army quarters, and the homes of the people occupied the outermost enclosure.
The merchants' quarters, or bazaars, were located outside the city walls.
Within the next half century the city reached a peak of prosperity and influence under the caliph Harun ar-Rashid, whose reign is celebrated in the famous tales of the Arabian Nights.
During this period the city expanded to the eastern bank of the Tigris, which later became the heart of Baghdād.
Although past its zenith after Harun's time, Baghdād remained an important center of trade and culture for more than four centuries.
The decline of Baghdād began when Hulagu, the grandson of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, sacked the city in 1258, putting an end to the Abbasid caliphate.
The Turkic conqueror Tamerlane sacked the city in 1401. Baghdād was brought under Persian control in 1508. In 1534 it was captured by the Ottoman Empire.
The Persians recaptured the city in 1623, holding it until 1638, when it was again annexed by the Ottoman Empire.
For almost three centuries thereafter Baghdād was ruled by Ottoman governors.
In 1917 it was captured from the Ottomans by British forces.
In 1921 Baghdād was designated the capital of the newly created kingdom of Iraq, which became a republic in 1958.
The city suffered damage from bombing during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and again during the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
( Capturing of Saddam Hussein )
In mid-April 2003, as U.S.-led forces captured Baghdād and overthrew the regime of Saddam Hussein, looters ransacked many stores, government buildings, and museums. Population (2000 estimate) 4,797,000.
Baghdād is the center of air, road, and railroad transportation in Iraq.
It is the leading manufacturing city of the country, with oil refineries, food-processing plants, tanneries, and textile mills.
Among the handcrafted wares produced in Baghdād are cloth, household utensils, jewelry, leather goods, felt, and rugs, which may be purchased in the bazaars.
Consisting of rows of small shops or stalls, these bazaars have long been a feature of the city.
( University of Baghdad )Educational institutions in the city include the University of Baghdād (1957), al-Mustansiriyah University (1963), and the University of Technology (1974).
Among the noteworthy historical structures of Baghdād is the ruins of Bab al-Wastani, the last remaining of the famous gates of Baghdād, which has been converted into an arms museum.
( The Abbasid Palace )Other notable buildings are the Abbasid Palace, which probably dates from 1179, the al-Mustansiriyah, a college founded in 1232 (both restored as museums), and the Mirjan Mosque, completed in 1358.
A few miles north of Baghdād is Kazimayn, notable for its magnificent gold-domed mosque (completed in the 19th century) and the tombs of religious leaders venerated by the Shia Muslims.
Baghdād was built by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur in 762 on the western bank of the Tigris River, opposite an old Iranian village also named Baghdād.
The original city was round, with three concentric walls. The innermost wall enclosed the palace of the caliph, the second wall defined the army quarters, and the homes of the people occupied the outermost enclosure.
The merchants' quarters, or bazaars, were located outside the city walls.
Within the next half century the city reached a peak of prosperity and influence under the caliph Harun ar-Rashid, whose reign is celebrated in the famous tales of the Arabian Nights.
During this period the city expanded to the eastern bank of the Tigris, which later became the heart of Baghdād.
Although past its zenith after Harun's time, Baghdād remained an important center of trade and culture for more than four centuries.
The decline of Baghdād began when Hulagu, the grandson of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, sacked the city in 1258, putting an end to the Abbasid caliphate.
The Turkic conqueror Tamerlane sacked the city in 1401. Baghdād was brought under Persian control in 1508. In 1534 it was captured by the Ottoman Empire.
The Persians recaptured the city in 1623, holding it until 1638, when it was again annexed by the Ottoman Empire.
For almost three centuries thereafter Baghdād was ruled by Ottoman governors.
In 1917 it was captured from the Ottomans by British forces.
In 1921 Baghdād was designated the capital of the newly created kingdom of Iraq, which became a republic in 1958.
The city suffered damage from bombing during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and again during the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
( Capturing of Saddam Hussein )In mid-April 2003, as U.S.-led forces captured Baghdād and overthrew the regime of Saddam Hussein, looters ransacked many stores, government buildings, and museums. Population (2000 estimate) 4,797,000.
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