[125] Baghdad joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Literature in December 2015.[126]. Others are gathering at shelters quickly set up at schools, hospitals and mosques. Prior to the Gulf War, multiple international schools operated in Baghdad, including: Baghdad has always played a significant role in the broader Arab cultural sphere, contributing several significant writers, musicians and visual artists. Is The American Dream only for Americans, or do people from around the world still move to the U.S., hoping to achieve their dreams? No one can undo what's been done. Iraqi army soldiers have abandoned their posts rather than confront the militants, spooking citizens. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. [11], Arab authors, realizing the pre-Islamic origins of Baghdad's name, generally looked for its roots in Middle Persian. [130], Baghdad is home to some of the most successful football (soccer) teams in Iraq, the biggest being Al-Shorta (Police), Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Airforce club), Al-Zawra'a, and Talaba (Students). Beyond the outer wall was a water-filled moat. Surrounding the palace was an esplanade, a waterside building, in which only the caliph could come riding on horseback. Baghdad, also spelled Bagdad, Arabic Baghdād, formerly Madīnat al-Salām (Arabic: “City of Peace”), city, capital of Iraq and capital of Baghdad governorate, central Iraq. [56] It continued to operate even after the coming of the Mongols in 1258. The city was designed as a circle about 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter, leading it to be known as the "Round City". Each gate had double doors that were made of iron; the doors were so heavy it took several men to open and close them. The city has Shia, Sunni, Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriacs, Armenians and mixed neighborhoods. what its like living there would depend upon what you compare it to as normal. Baghdad’s position along the Silk Road made it especially favorable for trade. [110], Most Iraqi reconstruction efforts have been devoted to the restoration and repair of badly damaged urban infrastructure. The original design shows a single ring of residential and commercial structures along the inside of the city walls, but the final construction added another ring inside the first. A Simple and Useful Guide to Understanding the Conflict in Iraq, ISIS: What to Know About the Military Group Taking Over Iraq, “I used to go every Friday to al-Ghazil market and I used to see a large number of people there,” Arkan says in a Reuters video. Thousands of ancient manuscripts in the National Library were destroyed under Saddam's command and because of neglect by the occupying coalition forces. 383 comments. It was built under the supervision of the Barmakids. It has recently come to light that the famed Fatimid da'i, al-Mu'ayyad al-Shirazi, had a direct role in supporting al-Basasiri and helped the general to succeed in taking Mawṣil, Wāsit and Kufa. This style of urban planning contrasted with Ancient Greek and Roman urban planning, in which cities are designed as squares or rectangles with streets intersecting each other at right angles. [83] It is characterized by the iconic clock tower which was donated by George V. The entire area is submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tentative list.[84]. Moreover, entry fees were usually so low that almost everyone could afford them. “All the people are afraid now,” Arkan told Reuters. Marketplaces are some of the most dangerous places in Baghdad. [41] Although Arabic was used as the international language of science, the scholarship involved not only Arabs, but also Persians, Syriacs,[42] Nestorians, Jews, Arab Christians,[43][44] and people from other ethnic and religious groups native to the region. The Tigris splits Baghdad in half, with the eastern half being called "Risafa" and the Western half known as "Karkh". After the fall of the Umayyads, the first Muslim dynasty, the victorious Abbasid rulers wanted their own capital from which they could rule. Today, it is a place where the citizens of Baghdad find leisure such as reading poetry in gazebos. 7 2 4. "We thought we would breathe freedom, we would become like Europe," he says. The distance between these gates was a little less than 2.4 km (1.5 mi). Wahlperiode Drucksache IV/3672, "Baghdad: The City in Verse, translated and edited by Reuven Snir", "Baghdad celebrates selection as UNESCO City of Literature | Nermeen Mufti", "Five women confront a new Iraq | csmonitor.com", "Gunmen storm independent radio station in latest attack against media in Iraq", "Occupation and international humanitarian law: Questions and answers – ICRC", Miastoprojekt goes abroad: the transfer of architectural labour from socialist Poland to Iraq (1958–1989), Iraq Image – Baghdad Satellite Observation, National Commission for Investment in Iraq, Description of the original layout of Baghdad, Ethnic and sectarian map of Baghdad – Healingiraq, UAE Investors Keen On Taking Part In Baghdad Renaissance Project, Iraq Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit, An unrecognised or partially-recognised nation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baghdad&oldid=1016386050, Populated places established in the 8th century, Articles with incomplete citations from July 2020, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages move-protected due to vandalism, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles lacking reliable references from December 2017, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from March 2019, All Wikipedia articles needing clarification, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2019, Articles needing additional references from June 2019, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2020, Articles with dead external links from July 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Siege of Baghdad (1625), Ottoman–Safavid Wars, Masjid Al-Kadhimain is a shrine that is located in the, Salihiya Residential area – situated off Al Sinak bridge in central Baghdad, surrounded by Al- Mansur Hotel in the north and Al-Rasheed hotel in the south, Al Khat al Sare'a – Mohammed al Qasim (high speed lane) – runs through Baghdad, north–south, Al Sinaa Street (Industry Street) runs by the University of Technology – centre of the computer trade in Baghdad, "Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-135" by Ibn Battuta. In Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate (p. 9). Guy Le Strange, "Baghdad During the Abbasid Caliphate from Contemporary Arabic and Persian", pg 10. Under the Ottomans, Baghdad continued into a period of decline, partially as a result of the enmity between its rulers and Iranian Safavids, which did not accept the Sunni control of the city. The masterplans of the city (1967, 1973) were delivered by the Polish planning office Miastoprojekt-Kraków, mediated by Polservice. Americas. The nine District Advisory Councils (DAC) are as follows:[91]. The name Baghdad is pre-Islamic, and its origin is disputed. There were cabarets and taverns, halls for backgammon and chess, live plays, concerts, and acrobats. King Faisal II, former Prime Minister Nuri as-Said, former Regent Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, members of the royal family, and others were brutally killed during the coup. Sort by. Baghdad (/ˈbæɡdæd, bəɡˈdæd/; Arabic: بَغْدَاد‎ [baɣˈdaːd] (listen)) is the capital of Iraq and one of the largest cities in the Arab world, and compared to its large population it has a small area at just 673 square kilometers (260 sq mi). June 13, 2014— -- As Islamic extremists threaten Baghdad, residents of the Iraqi capital are fleeing on foot, emptying grocery stores and hiding in shelters to escape the bloodshed. The Seljuks expelled the Buyid dynasty of Shiites that had ruled for some time and took over power and control of Baghdad. The project would include a six-star hotel, spa, an 18-hole golf course and a country club. And who you are, in terms of who you are employed by, because there are definite hierarchy based on employer. The Mustansiriya Madrasah was established in 1227 by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir. "A memoir of Major-General Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson." It was followed by another war from 2013-2017 and a low-level insurgency from 2017, which included suicide bombings in January 2018, and January 2021.[77]. One family of 12 said they would sleep together on a thin mattress lining the back of a pickup truck. It was a perfectly round city, with all the important buildings in the centre. They ruled as Sultans in the name of the Abbasid caliphs (they saw themselves as being part of the Abbasid regime). save. During the 2003 occupation of Iraq, AFN Iraq ("Freedom Radio") broadcast news and entertainment within Baghdad, among other locations. [69] Baghdad became a provincial capital controlled by the Mongol Jalayirid (1400–1411), Turkic Kara Koyunlu (1411–1469), Turkic Ak Koyunlu (1469–1508), and the Iranian Safavid (1508–1534) dynasties. In the center of the city stood the two finest buildings in the city: the Great Mosque and the caliph’s … [...] The Persian hamlet of Baghdad, on the Western bank of the Tigris, and just above where Sarat canal flowed in, was ultimately fixed upon [...]. Rainfall has been recorded on fewer than half a dozen occasions at this time of year and has never exceeded 1 millimetre (0.04 in). The palace governor lived in the latter part of the building and the commander of the guards in the front. Timur left the Sarbadar prince Khwaja Mas'ud to govern Baghdad, but he was driven out when Ahmad Jalayir returned. Sieges and wars in which Baghdad was involved are listed below: In 1058, Baghdad was captured by the Fatimids under the Turkish general Abu'l-Ḥārith Arslān al-Basasiri, an adherent of the Ismailis along with the 'Uqaylid Quraysh. Among the notable features of Baghdad during this period were its exceptional libraries. Within a short time, Baghdad evolved into a significant cultural, commercial, and intellectual center of the Muslim world. [68] When his forces took Baghdad, he spared almost no one, and ordered that each of his soldiers bring back two severed human heads. Water exists on both the north and south ends of the city, allowing all households to have a plentiful supply, which was very uncommon during this time. At the beginning of the 21st century, some 1.5 million people migrated to Baghdad. [113], The Baghdad Eye, a 198 m (650 ft) tall Ferris wheel, was proposed for Baghdad in August 2008. They chose a site north of the Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon, and on 30 July 762 the caliph Al-Mansur commissioned the construction of the city. [12][13] In Old Persian the first element can be traced to boghu and is related to Slavic bog "god",[8][14] A similar term in Middle Persian is the name Mithradāt (Mihrdād in New Persian), known in English by its Hellenistic form Mithridates, meaning "Given by Mithra" (dāt is the more archaic form of dād, related to Latin dat and English donor[8]). The Muslim historian al-Tabari reported an ancient prediction by Christian monks that a lord named Miklas would one day build a spectacular city around the area of Baghdad. [79][80] Eventually Paul Bremer, Director of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq after the invasion, ordered protection for the zoo and enlisted U.S. engineers to help reopen the facility. [75] However, the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s was a difficult time for the city, as money was diverted by Saddam Hussein to the army and thousands of residents were killed. Winter temperatures are typical of hot desert climates. The purpose or use of the remaining space in the center is unknown. Once it was a prestigious learning and cultural center. [65] It has been argued that this marked an end to the Islamic Golden Age and served a blow from which Islamic civilisation never fully recovered.[66]. From December through February, Baghdad has maximum temperatures averaging 16 to 19 °C (61 to 66 °F), though highs above 21 °C (70 °F) are not unheard of. [30] Leo is associated with fire and symbolises productivity, pride, and expansion. Firdos Square is a public open space in Baghdad and the location of two of the best-known hotels, the Palestine Hotel and the Sheraton Ishtar, which are both also the tallest buildings in Baghdad. And that past goes back to the beginning of civilization," Michael Goldfarbwrote on his time in Mosul. For poetry written about Baghdad, see Reuven Snir (ed. Log in or sign up to leave a comment Log In Sign Up. There is also a private radio station called "Dijlah" (named after the Arabic word for the Tigris River) that was created in 2004 as Iraq's first independent talk radio station. Crisis in … The group is known for public executions and beheading opponents in its takeovers and a top U.N. human rights official said today there were reports of public executions in Mosul, including 17 people on just one street. In 1534, Baghdad was captured by the Ottoman Turks. At the end of the tenth century R. Isaac b. Moses ibn Sakrī of Spain was the rosh yeshivah. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. "Smothered in history, it is yet another place where the past never dies and isn't even past. [81], Al-Shaheed Monument, also known as the Martyr's Memorial, is a monument dedicated to the Iraqi soldiers who died in the Iran–Iraq War. [3] The city was largely destroyed at the hands of the Mongol Empire in 1258, resulting in a decline that would linger through many centuries due to frequent plagues and multiple successive empires. [54] Many of the One Thousand and One Nights tales, widely known as the Arabian Nights, are set in Baghdad during this period. Mackensen, Ruth Stellhorn . At this point, Baghdad was ruled by the Ilkhanate, a breakaway state of the Mongol Empire, ruling from Iran. The Mongols massacred most of the city's inhabitants, including the caliph Al-Musta'sim, and destroyed large sections of the city. The basic framework of the city consists of two large semicircles about 19 km (12 mi) in diameter. The city's population grew from an estimated 145,000 in 1900 to 580,000 in 1950. A 3D model of what Baghdad looked like in the 8th century. One Baghdad resident told Reuters his local market is “deserted” as his neighbors try to avoid the militants, an army of radical Sunni Muslims called ISIS whose tactics have been deemed too brutal by al Qaeda. Near the Gate of Syria, a building served as the home for the guards. “I went today, but the market was deserted. The community has been subject to kidnappings, death threats, vandalism, and house burnings by al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups. View discussions in 8 other communities. Iraqis discuss fears and concerns about the advancement of ISIS forces. What Celebrities Look Like Now . Close. Baghdad's population was estimated at 7.22 million in 2015. A concise Pahlavi Dictionary (p. 23, 16). "Yakut: Baghdad under the Abbasids, c. 1000CE". Screenshot/British Pathé Public pools were becoming more common throughout the city. “We left after we saw everybody else leaving,” Abir, a 33-year-old teacher who joined the exodus with her husband and three children, told The Associated Press. Ctesiphon itself had replaced and absorbed Seleucia, the first capital of the Seleucid Empire, which had earlier replaced the city of Babylon. According to the traveler Ibn Battuta, Baghdad was one of the largest cities, not including the damage it has received. More visible efforts at reconstruction through private development, like architect and urban designer Hisham N. Ashkouri's Baghdad Renaissance Plan and the Sindbad Hotel Complex and Conference Center have also been made. The Sasanian city of Gur in Fars, built 500 years before Baghdad, is nearly identical in its general circular design, radiating avenues, and the government buildings and temples at the centre of the city. [82], Al-Shaheed, (Martyr's Monument), Zawra Park, Baghdad, The Victory Arch (officially known as the Swords of Qādisīyah, Qushla or Qishla is a public square and the historical complex located in Rusafa neighborhood at the riverbank of Tigris. The roundness points to the fact that it was based on Arabic script. متن‌های پهلوی. 13.8k. This page was last edited on 6 April 2021, at 22:06. This was the official name on coins, weights, and other official usage, although the common people continued to use the old name. The name was changed to Al-Mustansiriya University in 1963. [39], Within a generation of its founding, Baghdad became a hub of learning and commerce. The square developed during the Ottoman era as a military barracks. "Historic cities of the Islamic world. In 813, after the death of caliph Al-Amin, the palace was no longer used as the home for the caliph and his family. [73] After receiving independence in 1932, the capital of the Kingdom of Iraq. "by Bosworth, Clifford Edmund. [24] Mansur loved the site so much he is quoted saying: "This is indeed the city that I am to found, where I am to live, and where my descendants will reign afterward". Some historians even argue against exaggerated claims about its … [103] On 11 January 2008, light snow fell across Baghdad for the first time in 100 years. As the two marriages unfortunately dissolved however in 1979 and 1981 after which the group's style changed … The way we dine out, shop, learn, and worship are all being adapted to a new normal, a … On street corners, storytellers engaged crowds with tales such as those later told in Arabian Nights. Artists and music and writers, and all of the history. Baghdad has a long and illustrious history. The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra is a government funded symphony orchestra in Baghdad. Joneidi, F. (2007). The INSO plays primarily classical European music, as well as original compositions based on Iraqi and Arab instruments and music. In 2003, he thought the new Iraq would be orderly, liberal and secular. 12 years ago, we invaded Iraq. In August 1393, Baghdad was occupied by the Central Asian Turkic conqueror Timur ("Tamerlane"),[67] by marching there in only eight days from Shiraz. Many of these libraries were private collections intended only for the use of the owners and their immediate friends, but the libraries of the caliphs and other officials soon took on a public or a semi-public character. Like everyone else, I am denied my basic rights. The land on which the city is built is almost entirely flat and low-lying, being of alluvial origin due to the periodic large floods which have occurred on the river. Iraq judge who presided over Saddam's trial dies of COVID-19. The governorate council is responsible for the governorate-wide policy. [129], Priceless collection of artifacts in the National Museum of Iraq was looted by the Iraqi citizens during the 2003 US-led invasion. The Sultan of Baghdad, Abu Said Bahadur Khan, was a Tatar king who embraced Islam.[27]. Tughril Beg saw himself as the protector of the Abbasid Caliphs.[59]. The city of Baghdad soon became so large that it had to be divided into three judicial districts: Madinat al-Mansur (the Round City), al-Sharqiyya (Karkh) and Askar al-Mahdi (on the West Bank).[26]. Each neighbourhood process ultimately ended with a final meeting where candidates for the new neighbourhood councils identified themselves and asked their neighbours to vote for them. During the Mandate, Baghdad's substantial Jewish community comprised a quarter of the city's population. [102], Annual rainfall, almost entirely confined to the period from November through March, averages approximately 150 mm (5.91 in), but has been as high as 338 mm (13.31 in) and as low as 37 mm (1.46 in). best. Call with Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi of Iraq President Joseph R. Biden spoke today with Prime Minister … Some of the important cultural institutions in the city include the National Theater, which was looted during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but efforts are underway to restore the theatre. Abu Hanifah was the counter of the bricks and he developed a canal, which brought water to the work site for both human consumption and the manufacture of the bricks. Tehran: Balkh (نشر بلخ). [61] Despite his Shi'i inclinations, Al-Basasiri received support from Sunnis and Shi'is alike, for whom opposition to the Saljuq power was a common factor. The Mustansiriyah madrasa, which owned an exceedingly rich library, was founded by Al-Mustansir, the second last Abbasid caliph, who died in 1242. [119], Iraq's Tourism Board is also seeking investors to develop a "romantic" island on the River Tigris in Baghdad that was once a popular honeymoon spot for newlywed Iraqis. A displaced Iraqi woman washes her family's laundry as children shower outside their tent at a temporary camp set up to shelter civilians fleeing violence in Iraq's northern Nineveh province on June 13, 2014. Baghdad at the time was the largest city in the world, with a population of about 1 million. Regional services, however, are coordinated and carried out by a mayor who oversees the municipalities. Gordon, M.S. According to IS, everything is 'haram' (forbidden) and so I end up just sitting at home all the time. 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. The city flourished into an unrivaled intellectual center of science, medicine, philosophy, and education, especially with the Abbasid Translation Movement began under the second caliph Al-Mansur and thrived under the seventh caliph Al-Ma'mun. [20][21][unreliable source?] A 3D model of what Baghdad looked like in the 8th century. That means a world that looks and feels maybe a little less human. In addition, the palace was near other mansions and officer's residences. [40] Baytul-Hikmah or the "House of Wisdom" was among the most well known academies,[41] and had the largest selection of books in the world by the middle of the 9th century. Thousands of ancient manuscripts in the National Library were destroyed under Saddam's command. Administratively, Baghdad Governorate is divided into districts which are further divided into sub-districts. [35], The four surrounding walls of Baghdad were named Kufa, Basra, Khurasan, and Syria; named because their gates pointed in the directions of these destinations. But life goes on. But as the threat of civil war looms, his life today is much different. [8][18][19] Some scholars suggested Aramaic derivations.[8]. It connects the center to the southern neighborhood of Dora. The number of neighbourhood representatives on a district council is based upon the neighbourhood's population. Mackenzie, D. (1971). (1932). “This city has so much great stuff going on. Sultan Ahmad Jalayir fled to Syria, where the Mamluk Sultan Barquq protected him and killed Timur's envoys. In Meri, J.W. In 1401, Baghdad was again sacked, by Timur. This, in addition to housing several key academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom, as well as hosting a multiethnic and multireligious environment, garnered the city a worldwide reputation as the "Centre of Learning". There are reports of pressures by the Islamists to stop this tradition due to the associated gambling. [104] Snowfall was again reported on 11 February 2020, with accumulations across the city.[105]. Transcript for This Is What the Airstrike in Iraq Looked Like This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate. [112] In late 2009, a construction plan was proposed to rebuild the heart of Baghdad, but the plan was never realized because corruption was involved in it. An aerial view of Baghdad, Iraq March 4, 2018. Radio Dijlah offices, in the Jamia neighborhood of Baghdad, have been attacked on several occasions. After the fall of the Umayyads, the first Muslim dynasty, the victorious Abbasid rulers wanted their own capital from which they could rule. These baths increased public hygiene and served as a way for the religious to perform ablutions as prescribed by Islam. In 1991 and 2003, the Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq caused significant damage to Baghdad's transportation, power, and sanitary infrastructure as the US-led coalition forces launched massive aerial assaults in the city in the two wars. [8] The site where the city of Baghdad developed has been populated for millennia. Ali Yaycioğlu (Stanford). [45][46][47][48][49] These are considered among the fundamental elements that contributed to the flourishing of scholarship in the Medieval Islamic world. The Seljuks were a clan of the Oghuz Turks from Central Asia that converted to the Sunni branch of Islam. The monument was opened in 1983, and was designed by the Iraqi architect Saman Kamal and the Iraqi sculptor and artist Ismail Fatah Al Turk. More. What Celebrities Look Like Today. At that time, three possible locations had been identified, but no estimates of cost or completion date were given. A growing challenge for Iraq: Iran-aligned Shiite militias. Suraiya Faroqhi, Halil İnalcık, Donald Quataert (1997). Instead, he … About half a million people have fled their homes in northern Iraq since ISIS’ attacks began on Monday, according to a U.N. estimate. What exactly is The American dream, and does it even exist anymore, and if so, does The American Dream have the same meaning today as it had in the past? This was a result of theft of some animals for human food, and starvation of caged animals that had no food. The next step was to have each of the nine district councils elect representatives from their membership to serve on the 37 member Baghdad City Council. Farhad Jaff, 34, lives in Bagdad with his wife, son and mother. [56] Unfortunately, this second library was plundered and burned by the Seljuks only seventy years after it was established. "Ottoman administration of Iraq, 1890–1908." [citation needed], This article is about the capital of Iraq. [28] It took four years to build (764–768). Ali … [76] The Iraq War took place from 2003-2011, but an Islamist insurgency lasted until 2013. In contemporary times, the city has often faced severe infrastructural damage, most recently due to the Iraq War that lasted from 2003 until 2011, and the subsequent insurgency and later the renewed war that lasted from 2013 until 2017, resulting in a substantial loss of cultural heritage and historical artifacts. On 31 May, after the resulting Anglo-Iraqi War and after Rashid Ali and his government had fled, the Mayor of Baghdad surrendered to British and Commonwealth forces. [78] This street is well established for bookselling and has often been referred to as the heart and soul of the Baghdad literacy and intellectual community. No one was there.”. By the 11th century, "Baghdad" became almost the exclusive name for the world-renowned metropolis. Municipally, the governorate is divided into 9 municipalities, which have responsibility for local issues.