Baghdad - A place of power

Objective To be able to understand why Baghdad was built and how it

became so important.
Baghdad was one of the great centres of trade and learning in the Muslim
world. It became the capital of a great Islamic empire. It was built in 8 th
century by a powerful Caliph called al-Mansur. It was built by the
Abbasid family. They built Baghdad as they wanted to have a powerful
new Capital away from the supporters of the Umayyad family who had
ruled the Muslims for a long time.
The City was built as a circle and is known as 'the round city'. One
modern Historian describes the Baghdad as being:

"Perfectly round. It had four gates and 360 towers. On the outside was a
ditch twenty meters wide and a wall nine meters thick. The main wall was
over thirty meters high and fourteen meters wide at the top. One section
was reserved for the government and the army and closed off by a wall
seventeen and a half meters high and twenty meters thick. At the centre
of the city was a vast square. Here stood the Golden Palace with it's
copper dome and the Great Mosque. No one entered this central space
except on foot and with permission.
DESCRIPTIONS OF BAGHDAD
TRADE
Baghdads location meant it could trade with China, the Middle East,
Greece and the Mediterranean. Baghdad produced its own industries
producing textiles, leather, paper and other goods.
ART AND LEARNING
In Baghdad, people of many nationalities and religions mixed together. It
became a world centre for literature, art and learning. Its beautiful
buildings were splendidly decorated with brilliantly coloured tiles and rich
fabrics like silk.

GROWTH OF THE CITY

The round city grew rapidly, it was built in sections, the army in one
quarter, the palace and the great mosque in another, and the workers in
another. In the 9th century the city covered about 25 square miles and
about half a million people lived there. It became the world centre of
education and culture. Baghdad became a city of museums, hospitals,
libraries, and mosques. The main cities boasted paved streets, running
water and sewerage systems.
HEALTH
Muslim doctors were aware of contagious diseases and how to prevent
their spread. Every major Muslim city had a hospital. Muslim scientists
wrote about human veins as well as describing blood circulation and the
way the heart works.

Tasks
1) Read through the descriptions of Baghdad. Make a list
in your book listing all the things different between
dirty old town and Baghdad. You may want to do this
as a table with ticks and crosses.
2) Why did Baghdad become one of the richest and most
powerful cities on earth? List as many reasons as you
can.
3) Which do you think was the most important reason for
its growth?
4) From the information you have read; design and write
a postcard from Baghdad from the 8th century.

Do the writing first include information

about libraries, health care, religion,
trade and any other you can think of.

Where is the best place to build a new city?

Location A
This piece of land is dry and flat. It has no trees or
plants. It is a very big piece of land and there is a large
lake close by.

Location B
This land has lots of tress and plants. It rains almost
every day here. The land is quite small because there are
tall mountains either side of it which makes it difficult to
get to.

Location C
This piece of land is vast and open. However it is very cold
and not many plants can grow here. We are never without
water but sometimes find it difficult to grow our own food.

Location

Trade
Farming
Is it easy to Is the
get to?
land
suitable
for
farming?

Access to
water.
Water is
important
for people
and
farming

Space
Has it
enough
space
for living
and
working?

Weather
Will people live
comfortably in
the weather and
will it affect
work

Trade
Farming
Is it easy to Is the
get to?
land
suitable
for
farming?

Access to
water.
Water is
important
for people
and
farming

Space
Has it
enough
space
for living
and
working?

Weather
Will people live
comfortably in
the weather and
will it affect
work

Land A
Land B
Land C

Location

Land A
Land B
Land C

1) What do you look for when you want to build a new

city? Think about, location, land type (is it easy to farm
on), trade connections, and space (how many people will
live there?