Medieval Baghdad - The greatest city in the world

The first nucleus of the city of Baghdad was the “Round City” (Madinat al-Salam) founded by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur in 762 AD and completed in 766 AD on the western bank of the river Tigris was in a strategic location in the middle of Mesopotamia. The city, known as the 'Round City', was built as two large semicircles with a mosque in the center and housed the caliph's palace, library, government and military buildings. . It also has spacious parks, gardens, squares and boulevards. Residential areas for all but the most important people, markets, and businesses were built outside the city walls. Until its destruction by the Mongols in 1258, Baghdad was a world center of culture and learning. This period is sometimes called the Golden Age of Islam. It is estimated that between c900-1200, the population of Baghdad reached between 1,200,000 and 2,000,000 people. The House of Wisdom contained a library and attracted scholars from around the world who translated texts from the classical world into Arabic. Much ancient knowledge has been preserved and the development of Islamic theology, philosophy, science and medicine has been encouraged.