How old is Baghdad?
Baghdad, as a name, had been mentioned as Baghdadu on the Assyrian cuneiform records of the 9th century BC, and Babylonian bricks bearing the Royal Seal of King Nebuchadnezzar (6th century BC) were found in the Tigris here. It also appeared in many other historical records prior to the Christian era. But whatever settlement existed then, historic Baghdad was undoubtedly founded by the 2nd of the Abbasid Caliphs, Abu Ja’far Al-Mansour (AD 754-775), who had established his capital (The Round City) in almost the same location on the west bank of the Tigris River in 762 AD, and the name Baghdad is probably a combination of two Persian words meaning “Founded by God”. Arabs call it “Dar Essalam” (The City of Peace). Circular walls enclosed the city. At the city’s center were the caliph’s palace and the grand mosque, with four roads radiating out from these central buildings. The city’s gradual expansion caused it to extend beyond the original walls, and as it spread across to the river’s eas
