BAGDAD. 



193 



Descrip- 



Arabic 

 name. 



Greek 

 name, 



I listory. 



The first part of tlic city was situated on the west- 

 ern bank of the Tigris j and was of a circular form, 

 with the caliph's palace and the great mosque in the 

 centre. While 'he buildings on the eastern side were 

 erecting, Almansor detached a body of troops, under 

 his son Al Mohdi, to protect the workmen from the 

 attacks of the Persians ; and the young prince ha- 

 ving fortified, with a wall, the place on which he 

 encamped, that part of the city was afterwards 

 called " the Camp or Fortress of Al Mohdi." The 

 caliph had a palace in the eastern as well as in the 

 western division of the city, both of which had the 

 appellation of " the House of the Caliphat ;" but 

 that or the eastern bank was the most magnificent, 

 and was called, by way of eminence, " the Garrison," 

 or " theRoyal Inclosure." It was surrounded, on the 

 land side, by a semicircular wall, with six gates, the 

 chief of which was called " the Gate of the Pre- 

 fects ;" and its entrance was generally kissed by the 

 princes or ambassadors, who came to the court of 

 the caliph. The city was completed in the 149th 

 year of the Hegira, A. D. 766 ; and received the 

 name of Medinat al Salam, " the city of peace," al- 

 luding either to the name of Jerusalem, or to the 

 quiet -which prevailed throughout the empire at the 

 time when it was finished, or to the name which was 

 frequently applied by the Orientals to the river 

 Tigris, viz. Vadi Assalam, " the torrent of peace." 

 But whatever was the reason of this appellation, it 

 was generally adopted by the neighbouring nations; 

 and hence the city of Bagdad is often called by the 

 Greeks, Irenopolis, which is equivalent to the Arabic, 

 Medinat al Salam. The city, when completed, was 

 of a circular form, inclosed with a double wall, and 

 defended by a considerable number of towers. Its 

 gates were disposed in such a manner, that those of 

 the first wall were in a sloping or oblique direction 

 with respect to those of the second; and from this 

 circumstance, it was sometimes called by the Ara- 

 bians, Zaura, i. e. ** the crooked." In the centre of 

 the whole was the castle, or citadel, which command- 

 ed every part of the town ; and a bridge was con- 

 structed over the Tigris, to facilitate the communi- 

 cation between the two divisions of the city. Bag- 

 dad was much enlarged and beautified by succeeding 

 caliphs ; but particularly by Mostanser Billa, who 

 founded there the famous college, which the Arab3 

 called Al Madrasah Al Mostanseriah ; and wfiich 

 was remarkable for the elegance of its structure, the 

 greatness of its revenues, and the number of its stu- 

 dents. It contained also several other well endowed 

 colleges, was renowned for the elegance of the Ara- 

 bic spoken within its walls ; and produced a greater 

 number of learned men, than any other place in the 

 Mohammedan dominions, except Mecca and Me- 

 dina. 



The city of Bagdad continued to be the seat of 

 the caliphs of the house of Abbas, and the capital of 

 the Moslem empire, for the space of more than 500 

 years. During this long period it sustained several 

 obstinate sieges, and was the scene of many a bloody 

 revolution. In the 197th year of the Hegira, A. D. 

 812, it was attacked by Al Mamon, the second son 

 of Haroun Al Raschid, who had rebelled against his 

 elder brother Al Amin ; and by a siege of twelve 



VOL. III. PAKT I. 



months, almost the whole eastern part of the city Bagdai. 

 was laid in ruins. In the 334th of the Hegira, *" """ v"~ 

 A. D. 915, it was afflicted by so severe a famine, 

 that many persons were punished for feeding upon 

 the flesh of children ; and this dreadful scarcity was 

 followed by pestilence, which swept away great num- 

 bers of the inhabitants. In the 417th of the Hegira, 

 A.D. 1026, it was besieged by a numerous army of 

 Turks, who plundered, and set it on fire ; by which 

 means the best part of the city was consumed, and 

 the inhabitants reduced to a state of extreme poverty. 

 In the 447th of the Hegira, A. D. 1055, it was 

 pillaged by the troops of Trogrud, or Togrol Beck, 

 who assumed to himself the office of Emir-al-omra, 

 and made great encroachments upon the power of 

 the caliphs. At length, in the 656th of the Hegira, 

 A. D. 1258, Bagdad was taken by Hulaku, or 

 Hulagou, the grandson of Zengis, the Mogul, or 

 Tartar ; its reigning prince, Al Mostasom Billah, 

 put to death; the caliphate itself abolished ; and the 

 city given up to pillage and massacre for the space 

 of seven days. It remained in the possession of the , 



Tartars or Moguls till the year of the Hegira 796, 

 A.D. 1393, when it was taken by Timur Beg, or 

 Tamerlane the Great, from Sultan Ahmed Ebn Weis, 

 who abandoned his capital to the conqueror, and 

 took refuge in the territories of the Greek Emperor; 

 but who found means to regain the city in a short 

 time, and to keep possession till the S03d of the 

 Hegira, A. D. 1400. It was then attacked a se- 

 cond time by Timur, and vigorously defended by- 

 Ahmed's governor Farruj. At the end of forty days, 

 however, it was taken by assault, the inhabitants 

 barbarously massacred, and the principal building 

 levelled with the ground. From this period, it was 

 alternately in the hands of Sultan Ahmed, of Abu- 

 bekr, grandson of Tamerlane, and of Kara Yusef 

 the Turkoman, till the year of the Hegira 815th, 

 A. D. 1412, when it was completely secured by the 

 last mentioned prince, and remained in the possession 

 of his descendants, till the year of the Hegira 875th, 

 A. D. 1470. It was then occupied by UsunCassan, 

 in whose family it continued till the 916th of the 

 Hegira, A. D. 1510, when it was taken by Shah 

 Ismael, surnamed Sofi ; and, for 120 years after, it 

 was the object of perpetual contest between the 

 Turks and Persians. In the year of the Hegira 

 1048th, A.D. 1638, it was besieged by Amurath, 

 or Morad IV. ; and though the Persian garrison, af- 

 ter a brave resistance, had procured an honourable 

 capitulation, they were treacherously massacred, and 

 the town given up to pillage by the cruel conqueror. 



From this period Bagdad has greatly declined in Praest 

 extent and magnificence ; but is still a place of great state 

 concourse, of considerable trade, and of more wealth 

 than any other city in the world of the same size. 

 It is the resort of great numbers of traders and tra- 

 vellers, who pass into Persia from Natolia, Syria, 

 Palestine, and Egypt. It is visited from a principle 

 of religion, by multitudes of devout Mussulmen, who 

 imagine that Ali once resided in the city. All the 

 pilgrims also who go to Mecca by land, must pass 

 through Bagdad, and pay to the Basha a kind of tax 

 or toll, of four piastres. The professed religion is 

 the Mahommedan ; but the greater part of the peo- 

 2b 



