Difference between revisions of "Baghdad" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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==History==
 
==History==
 
[[Image:Baghdad-Zumurrud-Khaton.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Zumurrud Khaton tomb in Baghdad,1932.]]
 
[[Image:Baghdad-Zumurrud-Khaton.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Zumurrud Khaton tomb in Baghdad,1932.]]
Although located in the cradle of civilisations area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the city of Baghdad dates from 764 C.E., when the [[caliph]] Abu Ja'far Al-Mansur founded the city. Mansur believed that Baghdad was the perfect city to be the capital of the Islamic empire under the [[Abbasids]]. The site of the more ancient city of Babylon, deserted since the second century B.C.E., is located about 55 miles (85 kilometers) to the south. Baghdad's location was on a trade route for the [[Khurasans]] where caravans met and traded. The area had abundant water and a healthy climate.
+
Located in the cradle of civilisations area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and although a city of Baghdad is mentioned in pre-Islamic texts, including the [[Talmud]], the city of Baghdad dates from 764 C.E., when the [[caliph]] Abu Ja'far Al-Mansur founded the city.  
  
Baghdad came into its prime about 800 C.E., during the reign of the caliph [[Harun al-Rashid]], when the streets were paved with a [[tar]] substance. Baghdad eclipsed [[Ctesiphon]], the capital of the [[Persian Empire]], which was located some 20 miles (30km) to the southeast, which had been under Muslim control since 637, and which became quickly deserted after the foundation of Baghdad.  
+
Mansur believed that Baghdad was the perfect city to be the capital of the Islamic empire under the [[Abbasids]]. The site of the more ancient city of Babylon, deserted since the second century B.C.E., is located about 55 miles (85 kilometers) to the south. Baghdad's location was on a trade route for the [[Khurasans]] where caravans met and traded. The area had abundant water and a healthy climate. The goal was to replace [[Harran]] as the seat of the caliphal government.  
  
 +
The city was designed as a circle about 2 km in diameter, leading it to be known as the "'''Round City'''". The original design shows a ring of residential and commercial structures along the inside of the city walls, but the final construction added another ring, inside the first. In the center of the city lay the mosque, as well as headquarters for guards. The purpose or use of the remaining space in the center is unknown. The circular design of the city was a direct reflection of the traditional Persian Sasanian urban design. The ancient Sasanian city of Gur/[[Firouzabad]] is nearly identical in its general circular design, radiating avenues, and the government buildings and temples at the center of the city.
  
 +
Baghdad came into its prime about 800 C.E., during the reign of the caliph [[Harun al-Rashid]], when the streets were paved with a [[tar]] substance. Baghdad eclipsed [[Ctesiphon]], the capital of the [[Persian Empire]], which was located some 20 miles (30km) to the southeast, which had been under Muslim control since 637, and which became quickly deserted after the foundation of Baghdad.
  
====The Making of Baghdad====
 
 
In its beginning years the city was known as a deliberate reminder of an expression in the Koran, when it refers to Paradise <ref> Wiet, pg. 13 </ref>.  In the year 758 C.E., Mansur assembled engineers, surveyors, and art constructionists from around the world to come together and draw up plans for the city. Over 100,000 construction workers come to survey the plans; many were distributed salaries to start the building of the grand city. The construction started in July 23, 762 C.E.; the framework of the city itself is two large semicircles about twelve miles (19 km) in diameter. July was chosen as the starting time because two astronomers, [[Naubaknt]] and [[Mashallah]], believed that the city should be built under the sign of the lion, [[Leo]] <ref> Wiet, pg. 12 </ref>.  Leo is significant because he is the element of fire and symbolizes productivity, proud ness, and expansion. The bricks used to make the city were 18” on all four sides. [[Abu Hanifa]] was the counter of the bricks and he developed a canal, which brought water to the work site for the use of both human consumption and the manufacturing of the bricks. Also, throughout the city marble was used to make the buildings and marble steps led down to the river’s edge. Within the city there were many parks, gardens, villas, and beautiful promenades which gave the city an elegant and classy finish <ref> “Yakut: Baghdad under the Abbasids, c. 1000C.E.” </ref>. 
 
The city was designed as a circle about 2 km in diameter, leading it to be known as the "'''Round City'''". The original design shows a ring of residential and commercial structures along the inside of the city walls, but the final construction added another ring, inside the first.<ref>http://islamicceramics.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/Abbasid/baghdad.htm</ref> In the center of the city lay the mosque, as well as headquarters for guards. The purpose or use of the remaining space in the center is unknown. The circular design of the city was a direct reflection of the traditional Persian Sasanian urban design. The ancient Sasanian city of Gur/[[Firouzabad]] is nearly identical in its general circular design, radiating avenues, and the government buildings and temples at the center of the city.
 
 
====The Surrounding Wall====
 
 
The four surrounding walls of Baghdad were named [[Kufa]], [[Basra]], Khurasan, and [[Syria]]; these names were given to the gates because they granted access to these destinations <ref> Wiet, pg. 14 </ref>.  The distance between these gates was a little less than a mile and a half. Each gate had double doors that were made of iron, because the doors were so heavy it took several men to open and close them. The wall, itself, was about {{convert|145|ft|m}} thick at the base and about {{convert|39|ft|m}} thick at the top. Also, the wall was {{convert|98|ft|m}} high, which included the [[merlons]], a solid part of an embattled parapet usually pierced by [[embrasures]]. This wall was surrounded by another impressive wall that consisted of {{convert|165|ft|m}} and was extremely thick.  The second wall had towers and rounded merlons, which surrounded the towers. This outer wall was protected by solid [[glacis]], which is made out of bricks and [[quicklime]]. Beyond the outer wall was a water filled moat <ref> Weit, pg. 14 </ref>. 
 
 
====Golden Gate Palace====
 
 
In the middle of Baghdad, in the central square was the Golden Gate Palace. The Palace was the residence of the caliph and his family. In the central part of the building was a green dome that was {{convert|160|ft|m}} high. On top of this dome was a horseman holding a lamp. This horseman was believed to have magical powers that leaving a mysterious presence to visitors of the caliph. Surrounding the palace was an [[esplanade]], a waterside building, in which only the caliph could come riding on horseback. In addition, the palace was near other mansions and officer’s residences. Near the Gate of Syria a building served as the home for the guards. It was made of brick and marble. The palace governor lived in the latter part of the building and the commander of the guards in the front. In 813, after the death of the caliph [[Amin]] the palace was no longer used as the home for the caliph and his family <ref> Wiet, pg. 15 </ref>.   
 
The roundness points to the fact that it was based on Persian precedents such as [[Firouzabad]] in [[Iran|Persia]].<ref>See:
 
*{{cite book|title=Islam Art and Architecture|first=Markus|last=Hattstein|coauthors=Peter Delius|year=2000|pages=96|id=ISBN 3-8290-2558-0}}
 
*[[Encyclopedia Iranica]], [[Columbia University]], p.413.</ref> The two designers who were hired by [[al-Mansur]] to plan the city's design were [[Naubakht]], a former [[Persians|Persian]] Zoroastrian who also determined that the date of the foundation of the city would be astrologically auspicious, and [[Mashallah]], a Jew from [[Khorasan (Province)|Khorasan]], [[Iran]].<ref name="ref2">{{cite book|title=Islamic Science and Engineering|first=Donald R.|last=Hill|year=1994|pages=10|id=ISBN 0-7486-0457-X}}</ref>
 
  
 
====The Abbasids and the Round City====  
 
====The Abbasids and the Round City====  
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The capital is now in the middle of a power struggle with insurgents forcing Shi'ite residents out of some areas in western Baghdad where the Sunni sect is in the majority. After the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in [[Samarra]], north of Baghdad, Shi'ite militias retaliated and forced out 26,000 Sunni families from predominantly Shi'ite areas.
 
The capital is now in the middle of a power struggle with insurgents forcing Shi'ite residents out of some areas in western Baghdad where the Sunni sect is in the majority. After the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in [[Samarra]], north of Baghdad, Shi'ite militias retaliated and forced out 26,000 Sunni families from predominantly Shi'ite areas.
 
  
 
==Reconstruction efforts==
 
==Reconstruction efforts==

Revision as of 23:12, 19 July 2008

Baghdad
بغداد
General view of the north-western part of Baghdad city across the Tigris, 2006.
General view of the north-western part of Baghdad city across the Tigris, 2006.
The location of Baghdad within Iraq.
The location of Baghdad within Iraq.
Coordinates: {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:33|20|00|N|44|26|00|E|type:city
name= }}
Country Iraq
Province Baghdad Governorate
Government
 - Governor Hussein Al Tahhan
Area
 - City 734 km² (283.4 sq mi)
Elevation 34 m (112 ft)
Population (2006)[1][2]
 - City 7.0 million
 - Density 34,280/km² (88,784.8/sq mi)
 - Metro 9.0 million
  Approximate figures
Time zone GMT +3 (UTC)
 - Summer (DST) +4 (UTC)

Baghdad (Arabic: بغداد Baġdād) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, which it is also coterminous with. With a municipal population estimated at 7,000,000, it is the largest city in Iraq, and the second-largest city in the Arab World (after Cairo).

Located on the Tigris River, the city dates back to at least the 8th century C.E., and probably to pre-Islamic times. Once the center of Dar al-salam, the Muslim world, Baghdad has been a center of violent conflict since 2003 because of the ongoing Iraq War.

Geography

The most reliable and most widely accepted view of the etymology of the name "Baghdad" is that it is a Middle Persian compound of Bag "god" + dād "given", translating to "god-given" or "God's gift", whence Modern Persian Baɣdād. The name is pre-Islamic and the origins are unclear. The city was formerly known as “Madinat as-Salam”, or “City of Peace”.

The city is located on a vast alluvial plain, 112 feet (34 metres) above sea level, bisected by the Tigris River.

The Tigris splits Baghdad in half, with the Eastern half being called 'Risafa' and the Western half known as 'Karkh'. 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.

Baghdad has a hot arid climate and is one of the hottest cities in the world. In the summer from June to August, the average maximum temperature is as high as 111°F (44°C) accompanied by blazing sunshine: rainfall is almost completely unknown at this time of year. Though the humidity is very low (usually under 10 percent) due to Baghdad's distance from the marshy Persian Gulf, dust storms from the deserts to the west are a normal occurrence during the summer. In the winter, from December to February, by contrast, Baghdad has maximum temperatures averaging 59°F to 61°F (15°C to 16°C). The average January minimum is around 39°F (4°C) but temperatures below 32°F (0°C) are not uncommon during this season.

Annual rainfall, almost entirely confined to the period from November to March, averages around 5.5 inches (140mm) but has been as high as 23 inches (575mme) and as low as less than one inch (23mm). On January 11, 2008, light snow fell across Baghdad for the first time in memory.

Size – land area, size comparison

The city was subject to occasional floods, until 1956, when a dam on the Tigris at Sāmarrāʾ to the north was completed.

Districts

History

Zumurrud Khaton tomb in Baghdad,1932.

Located in the cradle of civilisations area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and although a city of Baghdad is mentioned in pre-Islamic texts, including the Talmud, the city of Baghdad dates from 764 C.E., when the caliph Abu Ja'far Al-Mansur founded the city.

Mansur believed that Baghdad was the perfect city to be the capital of the Islamic empire under the Abbasids. The site of the more ancient city of Babylon, deserted since the second century B.C.E., is located about 55 miles (85 kilometers) to the south. Baghdad's location was on a trade route for the Khurasans where caravans met and traded. The area had abundant water and a healthy climate. The goal was to replace Harran as the seat of the caliphal government.

The city was designed as a circle about 2 km in diameter, leading it to be known as the "Round City". The original design shows a ring of residential and commercial structures along the inside of the city walls, but the final construction added another ring, inside the first. In the center of the city lay the mosque, as well as headquarters for guards. The purpose or use of the remaining space in the center is unknown. The circular design of the city was a direct reflection of the traditional Persian Sasanian urban design. The ancient Sasanian city of Gur/Firouzabad is nearly identical in its general circular design, radiating avenues, and the government buildings and temples at the center of the city.

Baghdad came into its prime about 800 C.E., during the reign of the caliph Harun al-Rashid, when the streets were paved with a tar substance. Baghdad eclipsed Ctesiphon, the capital of the Persian Empire, which was located some 20 miles (30km) to the southeast, which had been under Muslim control since 637, and which became quickly deserted after the foundation of Baghdad.


The Abbasids and the Round City

The Abbasid Caliphate was based on them being the descendants of the uncle of Muhammad and being part of the Quraysh tribe. They used Shi’a resentment, Khurasanian movement, and appeals to the ambitions and traditions of the newly conquered Persian aristocracy to overthrow the Umayyads [3]. The Abbasids sought to combine the hegemony of the Arabic tribes with the imperial court ceremonial and administrative structures of the Persians. The Abbasids considered themselves the inheritors of two traditions: the Arabian-Islamic (bearers of the mantle of Muhammad) and the Persian (successors to the Sassanid monarchs). These two things are evident from the construction, which is modeled after Persian structures and the need of Mansur to place the capital in a place that was representative of Arab-Islamic identity by building the House of Wisdom, where ancient texts were translated from their original language, such as Greek, to Arabic. Mansur is responsible for the “Translation Movement” for this. The Persian structures are exemplified in how the city was built: round, which is why it is called the “Round City”. It is also near the ancient Sassanid imperial seat of Ctesiphon on the Tigris River [4].

The End of the Abbasids in Baghdad

The Seljuqs were a clan of the Oghuz Turks from the Siberian steppes that converted to the Sunni branch of Islam. In 1040, they destroyed the Ghaznavids, taking over their land and in 1055, Tughril Beg, the leader of the Seljuqs, took over Baghdad. The Seljuqs expelled the Buyids dynasty of Shiites that ruled for some time and took over power and control of Baghdad. They ruled as Sultans in the name of the Abbasid caliphs (they saw themselves as being part of the Abbasid regime) Tughril Beg saw himself as the protector of the Abbasid Caliphs [5]. On February 10, 1258, Baghdad was invaded by the Mongols led by Hulegu, a grandson of Chingiz Khan. Caliph al-Mustasim made an unconditional surrender, and people were killed indiscriminately for over a week. Many quarters were ruined by fire, siege, or looting. The Abbasids fled to Cairo where they were installed as caliphs there by the Mamluks, although they were not widely recognized outside the Mamluk territories [6].

A center of learning (8th to 9th c.)

Within a generation of its founding, Baghdad became a hub of learning and commerce. The House of Wisdom was an establishment dedicated to the translation of Greek, Middle Persian and Syriac works. Scholars headed to Baghdad from all over the Abbasid empire, facilitating the introduction of Greek and Indian science into the Arabic and Islamic world at that time. Baghdad was likely the largest city in the world from shortly after its foundation until the 930s, when it was tied by Córdoba.[7] Several estimates suggest that the city contained over a million inhabitants at its peak.[8] Many of the One Thousand and One Nights tales are set in Baghdad during this period. A portion of the population of Baghdad were non-Arabs such as Persians, Arameans and Greeks. These communities gradually adapted Arabic language.

Stagnation and invasions (10th to 16th c.)

Suq al-Ghazel (The Yarn Bazaar) Minaret in Baghdad, Mesopotamia (Iraq). This is the oldest minaret in Baghdad. It belonged to the Caliph Mosque built by Caliph Muktafi 901-907 C.E.

By the 10th century, the city's population was between 300,000 and 500,000. 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 during the sack of Baghdad. The Mongols massacred most 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 Islamic civilization never fully recovered.

At this point Baghdad was ruled by the Il-Khanids, the Mongol emperors of Iran. In 1401, Baghdad was again sacked, 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.

Ottoman Baghdad (16th to 19th c.)

Baghdad,1930

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. The city saw relative revival in the latter part of the 18th century under the Mamluk rule. The Nuttall Encyclopedia reports the 1907 population of Baghdad as 185,000.

20th century

Baghdad in 1932

Baghdad remained under Ottoman rule until the establishment of the kingdom of Iraq under British control in 1921. British control was established by a systematic suppression of Iraqi Arab and Kurdish national aspirations. Iraq was given formal independence in 1932, and increased autonomy in 1946. In 1958 the Iraqi Army deposed the grandson of the British-installed monarch, Faisal II. The city's population grew from an estimated 145,000 in 1900 to 580,000 in 1950 of which 140,000 were Jewish.

File:Bagdad2 i juni 1977.jpg
Baghdad in the 1970s

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.[citation needed] In 1991 the Gulf War caused damage to Baghdad's transportation, power, and sanitary infrastructure.

2003 Invasion of Iraq

File:Baghdad nima 2003.jpg
2003 street map of Baghdad

Baghdad was bombed very 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 governed 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 thereafter dissolved itself.[9]

File:Baghdad-smoke-satellite.jpg
A satellite false-color image of Baghdad, taken March 31 2003. The image shows smoke rising from pools of burning oil spread along "Canal Road" and other locations. Ditches full of oil were created shortly before the war to obscure visibility (black) and vegetation (red)

On September 23 2003, a Gallup poll indicated that about two-thirds of Baghdad residents said that the removal of Hussein was worth the hardships they encountered, and that they expected a better life in five years. As time passed, however, support for the occupation declined dramatically. By 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."[10]

Most residents of Baghdad became impatient with the United States because essential services like 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. The lack of security was another pressing concern. The curfew imposed immediately after the invasion was lifted in the winter of 2003, but the city with a once-vibrant night life was still considered too dangerous after dark for many citizens. Those dangers included kidnapping and the risk of being caught in fighting between security forces and insurgents.[citation needed]

On April 10, 2007, the United States military began construction of a three mile (5 km) long, 3.5 metre tall wall around the Sunni district of Baghdad.[11] On April 23, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Maliki, called for construction to be halted on the wall.[12][13]

In 1950, 90 percent of the Baghdad's population were Sunnis Muslims. Now Shi'ite Muslims make up 40 percent of Baghdad's population and most of the rest are Sunni. A sizeable Christian community also has a presence in Baghdad.

The capital is now in the middle of a power struggle with insurgents forcing Shi'ite residents out of some areas in western Baghdad where the Sunni sect is in the majority. After the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra, north of Baghdad, Shi'ite militias retaliated and forced out 26,000 Sunni families from predominantly Shi'ite areas.

Reconstruction efforts

File:BRP2.jpg
Nodes of Development for the Private Sector Based Baghdad Renaissance Plan, with the Tahrir Square Development on the far right.

Most Iraqi reconstruction efforts have been devoted to the restoration and repair of badly damaged urban infrastructure. More visible efforts at reconstruction through private development, like architect and urban designer Hisham N. Ashkouri's Baghdad Renaissance Plan and Sindbad Hotel Complex and Conference Center, garnered early interest but remain undeveloped due to the instability of the region.[14]


Government

The City of Baghdad has 89 official neighborhoods within 9 districts. These official subdivisions of the city served as administrative centers for the delivery of municipal services but until 2003 had no political function. Beginning in April 2003, the U.S. controlled Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) began the process of creating new functions for these. The process initially focused on the election of neighborhood councils in the official neighborhoods, elected by neighborhood caucuses. CPA convened a series of meetings in each neighborhood to explain local government, to describe the caucus election process and to encourage participants to spread the word and bring friends, relatives and neighbors to subsequent meetings. Each neighborhood process ultimately ended with a final meeting where candidates for the new neighborhood councils identified themselves and asked their neighbors to vote for them. Once all 88 (later increased to 89) neighborhood councils were in place, each neighborhood council elected representatives from among their members to serve on one of the city's nine district councils. The number of neighborhood representatives on a district council is based upon the neighborhood’s population. 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. This three tier system of local government connected the people of Baghdad to the central government through their representatives from the neighborhood, through the district, and up to the city council.

The same process was used to provide representative councils for the other communities in Baghdad Province outside of the City itself. There, local councils were elected from 20 neighborhoods (Nahia) and these councils elected representatives from their members to serve on six district councils (Qada). As within the City, the district councils then elected representatives from among their members to serve on the 35 member Baghdad Regional Council.

The final step in the establishment of the system of local government for Baghdad Province was the election of the Baghdad Provincial Council. As before, the representatives to the Provincial Council were elected by their peers from the lower councils in numbers proportional to the population of the districts they represent. The 41 member Provincial Council took office in February, 2004 and served until National elections held in January 2005, when a new Provincial Council was elected.

This system of 127 separate councils may seem overly cumbersome but Baghdad Province is home to approximately seven million people. At the lowest level, the neighborhood councils, each council represents an average of 74,000 people.

The nine District Advisory Councils (DAC) are as follows[15]:

Economy

Demographics

Culture

The Iraqi National Orchestra which was officially founded in 1959,performing a concert in Iraq ,July 2007.
Two ballerinas of the Iraqi National Ballet (which is based in Baghdad) performing a ballet show in Iraq, 2007.

Baghdad has always played an important role in Arab cultural life and has been the home of noted writers, musicians and visual artists.

The dialect of Arabic spoken in Baghdad today differs from that of other large urban centers in Iraq, having features more characteristic of nomadic Arabic dialects (Verseegh, The Arabic Language). It is possible that this was caused by the repopulating of the city with rural residents after the multiple sacks of the late Middle Ages.

Institutions

Some of the important cultural institutions in the city include:

  • Iraqi National Orchestra – Rehearsals and performances were briefly interrupted during the second Gulf War, but have since returned to normal.
  • National Theatre of Iraq – The theatre was looted during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, but efforts are underway to restore the theatre.[23]

The live theatre scene received a boost during the 1990s when UN sanctions limited the import of foreign films. As many as 30 movie theatres were reported to have been converted to live stages, producing a wide range of comedies and dramatic productions.[24]

Institutions offering cultural education in Baghdad include the Academy of Music, Institute of Fine Arts and the Music and Ballet School. Baghdad is also home to a number of museums which housed artifacts and relics of ancient civilizations; many of these were stolen, and the museums looted, during the widespread chaos immediately after U.S. forces entered the city.

During the 2003 occupation of Iraq, AFN Iraq ("Freedom Radio") broadcast news and entertainment within Baghdad, among other locations. 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. Radio Dijlah offices, in the Jamia neighborhood of Baghdad, have been attacked on several occasions.[25]

Sights and monuments

Baghdad train station 1959.
A U.S. Army helicopter flying by Baghdad's tower
File:Baghdad Tower, July 2007.jpg
Baghdad Tower, July 2007.
Tower clock of the qishla of Baghdad with Medical City in the background
File:UnknownSoldierBaghdad.JPG
The Monument to the Unknown Soldier in Baghdad, Iraq

Points of interest include the National Museum of Iraq whose priceless collection of artifacts was looted during the 2003 invasion, and the iconic Hands of Victory arches. Multiple Iraqi parties are in discussions as to whether the arches should remain as historical monuments or be dismantled. Thousands of ancient manuscripts in the National Library were destroyed when the building burnt down during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Al Kadhimain Shrine in the northwest of Baghdad (in Kadhimiya) is one of the most important Shi'ite religious sites in Iraq. It was finished in 1515 and the 7th (Musa ibn Jafar al-Kathim) and the 9th Imams (Mohammad al-Jawad) were buried there. One of the oldest buildings is the 12th century or 13th century Abbasid Palace. The palace is part of the central historical area of the city and close to other historically important buildings such as the Saray Building and Al-Mustansiriyah School (From the Abbasid Period). There are other landmarks in Baghdad, each of which marks a certain historical era:

Imam Al-Kadhim and Imam Al-Jawad shrine,in Kadhimyah
Abu Hanifa Mosque,in Adhamiyah
  • Baghdad Tower (used to be known as Saddam Tower): before its partial destruction due to the USA bombing of the Ma'amoon Telecommunication Center next to it, the tower used to be the highest point in the city and from where all Baghdad can be seen. The construction of the tower marks a period of the post-Gulf-war of 1991 reconstruction efforts.
  • The Two Level Bridge in Jadriyah (Jisr Abul Tabqain). Even though planing for this bridge began before Saddam's take over, the bridge was never built. As part of recent reconstruction efforts, the long planned bridge was built. It connects Al-Doura area with the rest of the Baghdad and complements the 14th of July Bridge.
  • Sahat Al Tahrir (Liberation Square) downtown Baghdad.
  • Saray souq
  • Baghdadi Museum (wax museum)
  • Mustansiriya School, a 13th century Abbasid structure
National Museum of Iraq
  • National Museum of Iraq
  • Al-Zawra'a Park in Al-Mansour Area and almost in a central location of Baghdad.
  • Kahramana and the 40 Thieves Square.
  • Al Jundi Al Majhool Monument (The unknown soldier).
  • Al Shaheed Monument. Monument to the Iraqi soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq war, located on the east bank of the Tigris.
  • A wide road built under Saddam as a parade route, and across it is the Hands of Victory, which is a pair of enormous crossed swords cast from weapons of soldiers who died in the Iran-Iraq War under Saddam's command.

Baghdad Zoo

The Baghdad Zoo was the largest zoo in the Middle East. Within eight days following the 2003 invasion, however, only 35 of the 650 to 700 animals in the facility survived. This was a result of bombing, theft of some animals for human food, and starvation of caged animals that had no food or water.[26] Survivors included larger animals like bears, lions, and tigers.[26] Notwithstanding the chaos brought by the invasion, South African Lawrence Anthony and some of the zoo keepers cared for the animals and fed the carnivores donkeys they had bought locally.[26][27] Eventually, Bremer ordered protection of the zoo, and American engineers helped reopen the facility.[26]

Sport

Baghdad is home to some of the most successful football teams in Iraq, the biggest being Al Quwa Al Jawiya (Airforce club), Al Zawra, Al Shurta (Police) and Al Talaba (Students). The largest stadium in Baghdad is Al Shaab Stadium which was opened in 1966. Another. Much larger stadium, are still in the opening stages of construction.

The city has also had a strong tradition of horse racing ever since World War I, known to Baghdadis simply as 'Races'. There are reports of pressures by the Islamists to stop this tradition due to the associated gambling.[citation needed]

Baghdad's major neighborhoods

File:Baghdad IA 1.jpg
Baghdad International Airport
A residential area on Haifa street, Baghdad
File:1973 Baghdad mosque.jpg
Albunneya mosque in Al-Alawi district Baghdad 1973
  • Adhamiyah
  • Al-Kadhimya
  • Al-Ghazaliya
  • Al-A'amiriya
  • Dora
  • Karrada
  • Al-Jadriya Area
  • Al-Mansour
  • Zayouna
  • Sadr City
  • Al-Saydiya
  • Hurriya City
  • Baghdad Al-Jadida(New Baghdad)
  • Al Baladeyat - Tisaa Nisan (9th of April)
  • Al-Sa'adoon area
  • Al-Shu'ala
  • Bab Al-Moatham
  • Bab Al-Sharqi
  • Al-Baya'
  • Al-Za'franiya
  • Hayy Ur
  • Sha'ab
  • Hayy Al-Jami'a
  • Al-Adel
  • Al:Khadhraa
  • Hayy Al-Jihad
  • Hayy Al-A'amel
  • Hayy Al-Mansor
  • Hayy Aoor
  • Al-Horaya
  • Hayy Al-Shurtta
  • Yarmouk
  • Al-Saydiya
  • Jesr Diyala
  • Abu Disher
  • Raghiba Khatoun
  • Arab Jijur
  • Al-Awashosh
  • Al-Fathel
  • hoor Rajab
  • Al-Ubedy
  • Hifah Street
  • Al-Wazireya

Baghdad's major streets

Source: stripes.com

File:Mohammed al Qasim (High Speed lane).jpg
The old ministry of finance building, along the Mohammed al Qasim Highway
Al Rasheed Street, the dome of Hayder Khana's mosque on the left
  • Haifa Street
  • Hilla Road — Runs from the South into Baghdad via Yarmouk (Baghdad)
  • Caliphs Street — site of historical mosques and churches.
  • Sadoun Street — stretching from Liberation Square to Masbah
  • Mohammed Al-Qassim highway near Adhamiyah
  • Abu Nuwas Street — runs along the Tigris from the from Jumhouriya Bridge to the 14 July Suspended Bridge
  • Damascus Street — goes from Damascus Square to the International Airport Road
  • Mutanabbi Street — A street with numerous bookshops, named after the 10th century Iraqi poet Al-Mutanaby
  • Rabia Street
  • Arbataash Tamuz (14th July) Street (Mosul Road)
  • Muthana al-Shaibani Street
  • Bor Saeed (Port Said) Street
  • Thawra Street
  • Al Qanat Street — runs through Baghdad north-south
  • Al Khat al Sare'a - Mohammed al Qasim (High Speed lane) - runs through bagdhad, north -south
  • Al Sinaa Street (Industry St.) runs by the University of Technology - center of computers trade in Baghdad.
  • Al Nidhal Street
  • Al Rasheed Street — Downtown Baghdad
  • Al Jamhuriah Street — Downtown Baghdad
  • Falastin (Palestine) Street
  • Tariq el Muaskar — (Al Rasheed Camp Road)
  • Matar Baghdad Al-Dawli (Airport Road)

Town twinning (sister cities)

See also

  • Reconstruction of Iraq
  • List of places in Iraq
  • Firdus Square
  • Baghdad City Hall
  • Baghdad Arabic
  • ‎Baghdad Airport Road
  • ‎Baghdad bridge stampede
  • Baghdad Security Plan


Portal Baghdad Portal
Portal Baghdad Portal

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  1. Estimates of total population differ substantially. The Encyclopædia Britannica gives a 2001 population of 4,950,000, the 2006 Lancet Report states a population of 6,554,126 in 2004.
    • "Baghdad." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 November, 2006.
    • Noia 64 mimetypes pdf.pngPDF. By Gilbert Burnham, Riyadh Lafta, Shannon Doocy, and Les Roberts. The Lancet, October 11, 2006
    • Baghdad from GlobalSecurity.org
  2. "Cities and urban areas in Iraq with population over 100,000", Mongabay.com
  3. Atlas of the Medieval World pg. 78
  4. Atlas of the Medieval World pg. 79
  5. Atlas of the Medieval World pg. 170
  6. The Formation of Islam, Jonathan P. Berkey pg. 182
  7. Largest Cities Through History
  8. Matt T. Rosenberg, Largest Cities Through History.
  9. Rajiv Chandrasekaran, in his book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone (Vintage Books 2006), cites the day as June 28, 2004, at 10:00 AM, with Viceroy Bremer declaring a dissolution and presenting documents to that affect to Prime Minster Ayad Allawi two days before the announced date of June 30th. (p.329)
  10. USATODAY.com - Poll: Iraqis out of patience
  11. Latest US solution to Iraq's civil war: a three-mile (5 km) wall
  12. Iraqi PM calls for halt to Baghdad wall
  13. Iraqi PM criticises Baghdad wall
  14. ARCADD
  15. http://images.usatoday.com/news/graphics/troop_surge/flash.swf
  16. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=27637
  17. http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/june2005/a060105la2.html
  18. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-03-26-councils-work_x.htm
  19. http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/mar2004/a031804d.html
  20. http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1205/p01s04-woiq.html
  21. http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/sept2006/a091906dg2.html
  22. http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=5&nid=235
  23. Five women confront a new Iraq | csmonitor.com
  24. In Baghdad, Art Thrives As War Hovers
  25. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/03/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Media-Attacked.php
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 The Choice, featuring Lawrence Anthony. BBC radio 4 (2007-09-04). Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  27. Anthony, Lawrence and Spence Grayham (2007-06-03). Babylon's Ark; The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 0312358326. 
  • “Yakut: Baghdad under the Abbasids, c. 1000C.E.”. Davis Press. Ed. By Paul Halsall, July 1998.

Further reading

  • By Desert Ways to Baghdad, by Louisa Jebb (Mrs. Roland Wilkins), 1908 (1909 ed) (a searchable facsimile at the University of Georgia Libraries; DjVu & Noia 64 mimetypes pdf.pngPDF format)
  • A Dweller in Mesopotamia, being the adventures of an official artist in the garden of Eden, by Donald Maxwell, 1921 (a searchable facsimile at the University of Georgia Libraries; DjVu & Noia 64 mimetypes pdf.pngPDF format)


External links

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