Baghdad — Capital of the Golden Age

Founding and Rise

Baghdad (بغداد) was founded in 762 CE by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur as the new capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. Originally called Madinat al-Salam (City of Peace), it was designed as a round city with the caliph's palace at its center. Within decades, Baghdad grew to become the largest and most prosperous city in the world, with a population exceeding one million at its peak.

The Islamic Golden Age

Baghdad was the intellectual capital of the world from the 8th to the 13th century. The Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom), established under Caliph Harun al-Rashid and expanded by al-Ma'mun, was a major center for translating Greek, Persian, and Indian works into Arabic. Scholars of all backgrounds worked together on mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, and geography. Al-Khwarizmi developed algebra here. Al-Kindi pioneered Islamic philosophy. The world's first hospitals, libraries, and observatories were established.

Great Scholars of Baghdad

Baghdad produced or hosted many of Islam's greatest minds. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was born, taught, and was imprisoned here for his principled stance during the Mihna (inquisition). Imam Abu Hanifah, though he predated the city's founding, has his famous mosque and tomb there. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi wrote the monumental history of Baghdad's scholars. Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani, founder of the Qadiriyyah order, taught and is buried in Baghdad.

The Mongol Destruction

In 1258 CE, Hulagu Khan's Mongol army sacked Baghdad, killing hundreds of thousands and destroying the House of Wisdom. The Tigris is said to have run black with the ink of the books thrown into it. This event marked the end of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad and a devastating blow to Islamic civilization, though scholarship continued in other centers like Cairo, Damascus, and the newly rising Ottoman cities.