Baghdad was once the capital of an empire and the center of the
Islamic world, but at 1,250 years old, the Iraqi city is a far
cry from its past glories after being ravaged by years of war
and sanctions. Construction of the city on the bank of the
Tigris River began in July 762 AD under Abbasid Caliph Abu
Jaafar al-Mansur, and it has since played a pivotal role in Arab
and Islamic civilizations. “Baghdad represented the economic
center of the Abbasid Empire, and it was used as a starting
point for controlling other neighboring regions to enhance
Islamic power,” said Issam al-Faili, a professor of political
history at Mustansiriyah University “Baghdad witnessed a
renaissance of thought through translation, which was usually
mastered by Jews and the Christians, and became a destination
for intellectuals, poets and scholars from all parts of the
world, and a center for craftsmen and a city of construction,”
Faili said. “Baghdad today, after it was the capital of the
world, has become one of the most miserable ci