Baghdad is known as the capital of Iraq. In 1920 Baghdad was established as the capital of Iraq when Great Britain was granted a mandate to govern Iraq. The capital Baghdad is the second largest in the whole Arab so it could be a reason for Baghdad being the capital of Iraq. It is said that it is located at the junction of historic trade roads and it is about 330 Miles from the river Tigris.
In ancient times Baghdad was the first city to reach a population of 10 lakh and now the population of Baghdad is approximately 7.7 million. The area of Baghdad is not enough as compared to its population its area is just 673 square kilometers. There is a fact that Baghdad is called the city of Arabian nights. The shrine of Shiekh Abdul Qadir Gilani and Abu Hanifa is also situated in Baghdad. There are many places in Baghdad that make Baghdad very famous and also attracts many peoples like The Iraq museum, Al Mutanabbi Statue, Al Jawadain Holy Shrine, Al-Shaheed Monument, Baghdadi Museum, etc but it is said that is quite risky for tourism in order to observe their daily crime cases. Let’s get to know more about the capital of Iraq – Baghdad in the article.
History of Capital of Iraq, Baghdad
The capital Baghdad was founded in the 8th century by Al Mansoor and became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. In the ancient era, Baghdad was the largest city in the world and had a very high population of over a million. When the city was founded by Al Mansoor then he gave the name Madinat Al Salam or city of peace to Baghdad. The city was established in 762 as the capital of the Abbasid dynasty and for the next 500 years, it was the significant Cultural center of Arab and Islamic civilization. In that era, it was a great center of education. After that city was conquered by Mongol leader Halaku Khan in 1258 after which its importance lowed down. If we talk about the fall of Baghdad then for winning Baghdad the war started on January 29 and lasted up to 13 days from January 29 to Feb 10, 1258. On Feb 10 Baghdad surrendered to Halaku Khan. After winning Baghdad Mongols began a series of massacres, looting, rape, and destruction. The Mongols destroyed many residences and killed many peoples after which the population greatly depopulated. And from then there was the end of the Islamic golden age.
Geography of Baghdad
Baghdad is located alongside the river Tigris which is about 330 miles from the headquarters of the Persian Gulf having a surface area of 204.2 kilometers square. The Alluvial plane begins from the north of Baghdad and goes up to the Persian Gulf. If we talk about the climate of Baghdad then Baghdad has a hot desert climate which is extremely hot there during summer the people of Baghdad has to suffer from very high temperature regularly therefore there are short months of winter. The average temperature of Baghdad in summers from June to August even reaches 44 degrees Celsius. Bagdad is also known as the hottest city in the world with temperatures of 120 Fahrenheit. The reason Baghdad is so hot is its unfiltered sunshine and very hot and dry Air which creates every day are triple-digit heat.
Tourism in Baghdad
Baghdad may be a city with a high population but it also consists of many buildings and monuments that attract tourists to visit Baghdad and also gave the sign of history. It is also known as the most historical city as many rulers ruled here and built many monuments. There are many precious places to visit in Baghdad including the famous Iraq museum which tells us about the history of Iraq for all years gone. Some of the places are the Al Mutanabbi statue, Al Jawadain Holi Shrine, Al-Shaheed Monument, Baghdadi Museum, Al Mansoor Mall, Zawraa Park, Al Kadhimiya Mosque, Baghdad mall, Armenian Orthodox Church- St Gregory, The Illuminater and Abu Hanifa Mosque. For pleasant tourism in Baghdad October, November, March, and April are the best months for traveling in Baghdad. However, Iraq has become one of the war zones of the world for many years now and that has hampered the war-torn country’s tourism badly.