Baghdad Iraq

Description: Baghdad is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris river. In 762 AD, Baghdad was chosen as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, and became its most notable major development project. Within a short time, the city evolved into a significant cultural, commercial, and intellectual center of the Muslim world. This, in addition to housing several key academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom, as well as a multiethnic and multi-religious environment, garnered it a worldwide reputation as the “Center of Learning”.

Population: 7,711,000

Demographics: The vast majority of Baghdad’s population are Iraqi Arabs. Minority ethnic groups include Feyli Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriacs and Armenians. The city was also home to a large Jewish community and regularly visited by Sikh pilgrims.

History: After the fall of the Umayyads, the first Muslim dynasty, the victorious Abbasid rulers wanted their own capital from which they could rule. 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. The city’s growth was helped by its excellent location, based on at least two factors: it had control over strategic and trading routes along the Tigris, and it had an abundance of water in a dry climate. Water exists on both the north and south ends of the city, allowing all households to have a plentiful supply, which was quite uncommon during this time. In its early years, the city was known as a deliberate reminder of an expression in the Qur’an, when it refers to Paradise. Within a generation of its founding, Baghdad became a hub of learning and commerce. 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. Baytul-Hikmah or the “House of Wisdom” was among the most well known academies, and had the largest selection of books in the world by the middle of the 9th century. By the 10th century, the city’s population was between 1.2 million and 2 million. Baghdad and southern Iraq remained under Ottoman rule until 1917, when they were captured by the British during World War I. In 1920, Baghdad became the capital of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia, with several architectural and planning projects commissioned to reinforce this administration. After receiving independence in 1932, the city became capital of the Kingdom of Iraq. The Iraq War took place from 2003 to 2011, and lasted until 2013. It was followed by another war from 2013 to 2017 and a low-level insurgency from 2017, which included suicide bombings in January 2018 and January 2021. Priceless collection of artifacts in the National Museum of Iraq was looted by Iraqi citizens during the 2003 US-led invasion. Thousands of ancient manuscripts in the National Library were destroyed. In December 2015, Baghdad was selected by UNESCO as the first Arab city of the center of literary creativity.

Elevation: 34 m

Climate: Hot desert climate. Average annual temperature in Baghdad is 28 C (83 F), the average for July is 36 C (87 F), the average for January is 10 C (51 F).

Attractions: Iraq Museum, Al-Jawadain Holy Shrine, Al-Kadhimiya Mosque, Baghdadi Museum, Babylon Mall, Abu Hanifa Mosque, Baghdad Mall, Tahir Square

Airports: Baghdad International Airport BGW

Distance To City Centre: 30 km

Commute Length: 30 min

Average Transportation Cost: 75 USD

Traffic Hours: 6:30 am – 9:30 am, 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm