See also: Baghdad (homonymy)

Baghdad (in rear Arabic RTL بغداد) is the Capitale and more the big city of the Iraq. It is located on the Tigre at the center is country (44,5° E - 33,5° NR) and is a crossroads of air, road and railway communications for the country. It is also the second plus big city of the south-west of Asia after Teheran and the second plus big city of the Arab world after Cairo.

Etymology

The word “Baghdad” comes from the Persan and means “gift of God” (of dâd and Bagh , Russian cf Bog ). This name is also an old Arab word which means the “castle of the eagles”.

It is at the origin of the word Baldaquin, which indicates initially the Soie of Baghdad ( Baldac or Baudac with the Moyen-âge), then a hanging of bed. The city is also called Dar As Salam , the round city and the town of Al Mansour . 1664, Baghdad is destroyed by the Barbarians

History

Abbasid caliphate

From 750, the Abbasside dynasty takes the top on Omeyades and moves the capital of the caliphate of Syria towards Irak.Bagdad founded at the 8th century in 762 by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur and was then built in 4 years by 100.000 workmen. It was during 5 centuries the capital of the Califat, and flowers by arts and the letters. After the seizure of power by the Abbasid with the detriment of the Omeyyades of Damas to the Middle Ages, the city was selected like capital of the Califat, but had as rivals in this function, initially Cairo (Fatimides), then Cordoue. Baghdad will be promoted capital Islam and will remain about it until half of the 13th century.

Baghdad of the Abbassides is a round city four kilometers in diameter with four doors: Bab Echam, Bab Khorassane, Bab Bassora and Bab Al Koufa. It is protected by a twenty meters broad ditch and a double circular enclosure. The palate, the mosque and the barracks are in the center, while the city constitutes a ring between the two ramparts. The city had a green dome, 48,36 height meters, built on the palate, dominating the city. This dome which made the glory of Baghdad would be broken down into 941 because of the lightning. The city was not long increasing and thus in losing its original round form. With the Middle Ages, the European travellers confused Baghdad with Babylon. At that time, it was made of two great parts:

  1. the round city of Al-Mansur on western bank of the Tiger
  2. the city strengthened by Al-Mustazhir in 1095, in the east. In 1221, the caliph Year-Nasir renovated the fortifications to which it flanked bastions. Only one door is still preserved: Bab Al-Wastani whose tower is 14,5 meters high for a circumference of 56 meters.

It becomes the turntable of the big business:

The Muslim world also imports slaves (Slavic, Turkish, African) and raw materials (structural timber, iron) and exports raw materials (Alun) and products of the craft industry (fabrics, objects of glass and metal, inter alia). The city would then have counted until a million inhabitants, while old the " capitale" France, Aachen, counted only 10.000 of them.

Decline of Baghdad amorça when it was devastated by the Mongolian S of Houlagou Khan in 1258, after a 20 day old seat of January 20th until February 10th. The very whole city is disarmed and its population is massacred. This marks also fine with the dynasty of the Abbassides after the assassination of Al-Musta' sim. The city is also devastated by Tamerlan in 1410, by the Turkish S Othoman (Soliman the Magnificent the) in 1534; against them in 1623 revolted, supported a long seat, and was taken only in 1638, by Murat IV.

British protectorate

In accordance with the secret agreements of Sykes-Barb between the British to sir Sykes Mark and the French Georges Barb, France allots the supervision of Syria and Great Britain that of Iraq. March 11th, 1917, a British task force enters to Baghdad, capital of Mésopotamie (Iraq current), and drives out the Othoman Turks of them. By the agreements of San Remo signed in 1920, Great Britain receives mandate on behalf of the Company of the Nations to manage the country. In 1921, Baghdad is declared capital new kingdom of Iraq, become in 1958 a republic

The reign of Saddam

In 1968, a Coup d'etat makes it possible the Parti Baath to seize the capacity.

Wars on Iraq

For the wars of the Gulf (War Iran-Iraq, war of Kuwait, war in Iraq) and the period of embargo, it underwent several series of bombardments as from 1985 by Iranian ballistic missiles then air raids in 1991 and in April 2003 which partially destroyed it.

During the Operation release of Iraq, After 21 days of bombardments of precision, the American forces after having to meet a low resistance to the doors of Baghdad take the control of Baghdad. The statue of Saddam Hussein is reversed by an American tank. The very same day, of plunderings start, in particular with the archaeological museum, in the hospitals and the administrative buildings.

With the fall of the mode of Saddam Hussein, the popular quarters Saddam City were famous in Sadr City name of a Shiite dignitary.

Progression of the events

  • 2004

    • April 3rd: Beginning of removals from abroad.
    • April 28th: Diffusion of Iraqi images humiliated by American soldiers in the prison of Abou Ghraib.
    • June 28th: The capacity is transferred to the Iraqi government.

  • 2005

    • January: Washington cease to seek weapons of massive destruction, while not having found.
    • October 15th: The Constitution is adopted by Référendum.
    • December 15th: Victoire of the Shiites to the legislative ones.

Intellectual radiation

Baghdad occupied, during the first centuries following its foundation, a dominating place in the literary production, artistic and intellectual arabo-Moslem woman, under the patronage of the dignitaries of the court Abbasside. The school Mustansiriya , built by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mustansir Billah in Baghdad is regarded as one of the oldest arabo-Islamic universities where one taught sciences of Coran of the tradition of the Prophet, the doctrines Islamic, sciences of the Arab language, mathematics, the precepts of Islam and the various disciplines of medicine. The city quickly becomes the first arts center of the world, accommodating nearly a million people while Paris in account hardly five thousand. In the middle of the 9th century is created the Maison of wisdom where one carries out the translation of large Greek philosophers and from the people come from Europe or other shares from the world to specialize in Médecine, in Physique, in Astronomie, Météorologie, Mathématiques and in all the fields.

Monuments

  • College Al-Mustansiriya (13th century)
  • Hands of the victory (20th century)
  • Mosque Mirjan (14th century)
  • Abbasid Palate (12th century)
  • Large Saddam mosque, famous Mosque Al-Rahman (Miséricordieux). Bond GoogelMap 33°18' 37.79" NR 44°20' 55.39" E

Economy

Baghdad is the industrial center of the country and its crossroads of air, road and railway communications. Twelve bridges allow the crossing of the Tigre river. One finds there oil refineries, cultures agricultural, tanneries and other textile industries. The city produces domestic clothing, ustensils, jewels, articles of leather and felt and carpets marketed in the souks (gone Arab). These souks with the narrow alleys consisted of small shops and stalls belong to the history of the city and of it are characteristic.

Demography

8th century at the 13th Baghdad century was the largest metropolis of its time. Around year 900, the population of Baghdad was estimated at approximately 1 million inhabitants. In 2001 the population of the agglomeration of Baghdad is estimated at 4.958.000 inhabitants.

Geography

Climate of Baghdad east one of the hottest areas of the world during the summer especially when the wind of the Arabo-Persian Gulf blows (Baghdad 45°C in July). In winter the rainfall is of 136 mm and the thermometer oscillates on average between 6 and 18°C in winter and 4 and 16°C in January. There is a dozen days of freezing per annum in Baghdad with temperatures sometimes rather low (minimum of -6.1°C).

Problem of water

Baghdad is located geographically on the Tiger which is its first source of water. Considered under the geopolitical and hydrological aspect, the Mésopotamie gathers two countries, Iraq and the Syria. The characteristic of the basin mésopotamien resides in the nonArab origin of its river water which takes their source in the Montagne S Turkish and Iranian. The geographical location of Iraq gives him a position of ultra vulnerability since it is encircled by countries (Turkey, Syria, Iran) able to cut its water provision to him. Thus the question of water is in the foreign policy of Baghdad in the middle of ceaseless tensions. After the war on Iraq the problem of water worsened. In certain districts the running water is not available more than two hours per day. With the support of ECHO, the International committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributes each day of drinking water to 30 localities around Baghdad, thus providing for the vital needs of 40.000 people. After years of negligence, the water supply network also suffered from more recent damage due to the vibrations caused by the bombs and the passage of the tanks. Recent estimates of the the United Nations show that nearly 50% of the water of Baghdad is lost due to escapes. The water supply, the medical ones, electricity and the departments of health in the center and the south of Iraq were particularly struck by plunderings and the settings with bag at the time of the chaotic weeks which followed the fall of the old government. With the support of ECHO, the teams of Iraqi engineers of the ICRC carry out today a work of maintenance on the two pumping stations and replace the electric cables along the 36 hectares which skirt bank of the Tiger.

Violence

After the fall of the mode of Saddam and the entry of the American army in the city, Baghdad knows a rise of violence and the multiplication of the number of the attack-suicides and the car bomb attacks.

Sport

Baghdad is the seat of the largest Iraqi clubs, Al Qowa Al Jawia, Al Zawra, Al Shorta, Al Talaba. The city also shelters the stage of Shaab (stage of the people) inaugurated in 1966 greater stage of Iraq with a capacity of 45000 people.

See too

Source and notes

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