Baghdad: founding a connected capital

In 762, the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur began building Baghdad. Its position near the Tigris and farming districts offered access to transport and provisions. A circular walled plan placed the palace and principal mosque at the center. Officials, craftspeople and laborers worked on construction, drawing materials and food from surrounding areas. The new capital replaced earlier temporary residences with a lasting center for government.

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The court’s demand for goods and services attracted merchants, workers, scribes and soldiers. Markets were relocated and adjusted, while neighborhoods grew beyond the original enclosure. Boats carried grain and merchandise along the Tigris, and roads connected Iran, Syria and other regions. Activity on both banks took the city beyond its circular plan, with streets, bridges and crossings shaping residents’ daily movement.

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Offices processed documents from the provinces, concentrating fiscal and appointment work near the court. Physicians, jurists, poets and translators sought patrons, students and readers. Paper and book trades supported copying, while households, officials and royal sponsors provided resources. Intellectual activity occupied homes, markets and teaching places. Despite later conflicts and shifts of power, these administrative and scholarly relationships connected Baghdad with many other regions.

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