Baghdad, Iraq

The area surrounding Baghdad has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The city itself was built during the eighth century CE and became the capital of modern-day Iraq in 1920. Baghdad is the seat of the country's government and the economic and cultural center of the nation. It is the second-largest city in the Arab world, ranking just behind Cairo, Egypt.

Baghdad is the largest transportation hub in Iraq and is connected to both the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Its location led to its development as a rich cultural and educational center before the city was conquered by foreign invasion in the thirteenth century.

Landscape

Baghdad is located on a plain that lies between the desert and mountainous regions of Iraq. The Tigris River runs through the plains and divides Baghdad into two halves. The land under the city is formed largely from alluvial deposits left behind by periodic flooding of the rivers.

The temperature in Baghdad is hot and dry during summer. Spring and autumn are considered the most pleasant seasons and are far shorter than the summer. The winter is generally cool and moist. The average summer temperature is around 33 degrees Celsius (92 degrees Fahrenheit), occasionally climbing to a high of 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit). Even with high normal temperatures, the humidity remains relatively low (10 to 50 percent). The temperature can drop dramatically from day to night.

Baghdad, and all of Iraq, face serious threats from climate change. Heat waves and heavy rain have become more common. Sand and dust storms and prolonged droughts threaten the people there. Water scarcity has become a serious problem. In 2021, the country had record-low rainfall and its driest season in forty years.

Baghdad has a vast urban area. Most buildings are relatively short, compared to major urban areas in other cities. The city covers an area of 596 square kilometers (230 square miles).

The city's design is unique, as modern elements are intermingled with surviving ancient structures. The business districts contain modern architecture, but many of the streets are still lined with mosques and other buildings that have been part of the city since ancient times. Baghdad is divided into nine districts with more than eighty distinct neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods contain restaurants, cafés, and entertainment venues, while others are purely residential.

People

The city of Baghdad has a population of around 7.5 million, according to a 2022 CIA World Factbook estimate. The population in the urban area grew sharply between the 1930s and 2000, with the expansion of housing developments and a steady growth in birth rates. In 1932, the population was estimated at 350,000. The population of Baghdad declined during the US-led war and occupation that began in 2003.

Most citizens of Baghdad are Arab Muslims. At one time there were significant Christian and Jewish communities in Baghdad. Today, the total number of Jews in Iraq has declined dramatically. In addition to historic mosques, Baghdad also has a number of historically significant Christian churches.

As a whole, the Iraqi population is largely Muslim, with a general division of 60 to 65 percent Shiite Muslims and 32 to 37 percent Sunni Muslims. Christians still make up around 3 percent of the total population.

Between 75 and 80 percent of the Iraqi population is of Arab descent. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of the population is Kurdish. The remaining 5 percent of the population includes the Turkoman and Assyrian ethnic groups. Arabic and Kurdish are the official languages of Iraq. Other major languages spoken there include Turkmen, Assyrian, and Armenian.

Economy

The economic structure of Baghdad was severely crippled by the US invasion of 2003, then further impaired by the armed civil conflict between Shia and Sunni militant groups and between anti-American militants and US-led forces. As a result of the unsafe conditions in the city, poverty in Baghdad became widespread and employment opportunities vanished.

Nonetheless, Baghdad remained the center of Iraqi financial operations and the location of the Central Bank of Iraq. In addition, the city hosts most of the country's major businesses. At least half of Iraq's major industries are located in the Baghdad area. Iraq's exports include petroleum and petroleum products, furniture and wood products, tobacco, bricks and stone, and leather goods.

Prior to the 2003 government restructuring, the Iraqi government had accrued severe debt. Since 2003, the government has shown some signs of improvement, with a major increase in real estate sales and oil revenues close to US$60 billion in 2017. The number of companies in Baghdad has also begun to grow, signaling that Iraqis are expecting business in the city to continue its current growth patterns. In Baghdad, the average salary has more than doubled since 2003, but national unemployment remains high, estimated at 15.5 percent in 2022.

The production and sale of petroleum products accounts for over 85 percent of government revenue. In 2022, Iraq's gross domestic product (GDP, purchasing power parity) was estimated at US$264.18 billion. Industry accounts for over 50 percent of the country's economy.

Landmarks

Baghdad has a long and rich cultural tradition. The National Museum of Iraq once contained a wealth of art and artifacts related to the country's political and social history. However, the museum was looted heavily following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, and very little remains of its collection. The museum's collections of Mesopotamian artifacts were considered a globally important historical resource. Humanities experts worldwide criticized the lack of protection given to the artifacts by US and coalition forces.

Baghdad's Abbasid Palace is an example of traditional Iraqi architecture. The palace was constructed in the twelfth century and overlooks the Tigris River. Some historians believe that the palace was built as an Islamic school, as it resembles known religious institutions from the same period.

Baghdad has a number of mosques that are important to both Islamic and architectural history. Intricate decorative elements and engravings characterize the buildings. The al-Kadhimiya mosque, believed to have been built in the sixteenth century, is one of the most important in the Muslim world, as it is integrated with the shrines of two important Muslim imams. Many of the city's mosques were damaged or destroyed during the civil war that occurred in Iraq beginning in 2007. Most notably, the dome and two minarets of the widely known al-Askari mosque were destroyed by two separate bombings in 2006 and 2007; they were subsequently restored, and the mosque reopened in 2009.

History

The Baghdad area was occupied as early as 1800 BCE as part of the ancient empire of Babylonia. In 634 CE, the newly formed Islamic empire expanded into Iraq, which at the time was part of the Persian Sassanid Empire. Historians have established 762 CE as the date when Baghdad was founded. The caliph Abu Jafar al-Mansur is credited as the founder of Baghdad. The city was originally located on the west side of the Tigris River and later expanded to the east.

During the eighth and ninth centuries, Baghdad became the center of the Islamic world. Christians and Jewish residents were required to pay a tax for living in the empire. The economy of the entire region was centered in Baghdad. It was the cultural and artistic capital of the region and the second largest city in the world, after Constantinople. Some historians believe that Baghdad was the most advanced city in the world until the Mongol Empire invaded in 1258 CE. Much of the city's infrastructure was destroyed during the extended conflict that ensued.

In 1534, Baghdad became part of the Ottoman Empire. The city's condition continued to decline. Cultural institutions and artifacts were destroyed during several decades of internal strife. In 1624, Persian forces recaptured the dilapidated city. The Ottomans managed to retake the city in 1638.

In 1798, the British government established a permanent presence in the city to assist in trade with Europe. European trade partially revitalized the system. By the 1800s, steamships on the Tigris River continued to increase commercial prosperity.

By 1870, serious modernization had taken place with the establishment of the first modern financial and governmental institutions. The first newspapers and telephone services were also installed during this period. In 1917, British troops occupied Iraq and took control of Baghdad from the Ottomans. Baghdad was named the capital of Iraq in 1920. New administrative offices and financial institutions were constructed under the British government.

Iraq received its independence from Britain in 1932. From the 1930s to the 1990s, Baghdad experienced moderate growth, and the country's economy became more focused on petroleum production. The 1970s were a major building phase for Baghdad, and the city modernized many urban areas.

In 2003, a US-led international coalition invaded Iraq and occupied Baghdad. The government of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was removed from power. Many of the city's buildings were destroyed, and its infrastructure was severely damaged.

The fall of the Hussein regime created a power vacuum throughout Iraq that was felt with great severity in Baghdad. Shiite militants claimed they represented Iraq's Shiite majority, which had been long repressed during Hussein's rule, while Sunni militants criticized Iraq's newly formed parliamentary government, claiming they lacked proper representation. Both groups were reported to have committed atrocities against the country's civilian population, regardless of religious affiliation. In addition to this conflict, various militant sects claiming allegiance with the terrorist group al-Qaeda continued to attack US and coalition forces in Iraq with various guerilla tactics, such as concealed roadside bombs and sniper fire. Over time, however, the violence began to die down, and the United States began ceding control to Iraqi forces.

In October 2011, US president Barack Obama announced that US forces would withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year. The end of the Iraq War was officially declared on December 15, and all remaining US troops withdrew by December 18. Sectarian violence resurged following the withdrawal, with over fourteen thousand civilian deaths estimated to have occurred in 2012 and 2013 alone. Beginning in 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took al-Qaeda's place as the greatest terrorist threat in the region, occupying large swaths of Iraq to the north and east until the group was beaten back in 2017 and 2018; the tragic episode was further evidence that the Iraqi government had limited control of the country outside the capital, which itself remained a difficult environment. Since the Iraq War, Baghdad has ranked at the bottom of global rankings of cities by quality of life.

Bibliography

Ali, Zaid al. The Struggle for Iraq's Future: How Corruption, Incompetence and Sectarianism Have Undermined Democracy. New Haven: Yale UP, 2014. Print.

"Climate Change Is the Biggest Threat Iraq Has Ever Faced, But There Is Hope to Turn Things Around." United Nations Sustainable Development, 15 Nov. 2022, unsdg.un.org/latest/blog/climate-change-biggest-threat-iraq-has-ever-faced-there-hope-turn-things-around. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.

Dodge, Toby. Iraq: From War to a New Authoritarianism. London: Intl. Inst. for Strategic Studies, 2012. Print.

"Iraq." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 20 Feb. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.

"Iraqis Rebuild al-Askari Mosque." Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera, 12 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

Jamil, Tariq al. Power and Knowledge in Medieval Islam: Shi'i and Sunni Encounters in Baghdad. London: Tauris, 2014. Print.

Kennedy, Hugh. When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2004. Print.

Knolle, Kristi. "Vienna Unbeatable as World's Most Liveable City, Baghdad Still Worst." Reuters, 19 Mar. 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-mercer-ranking/vienna-unbeatable-as-worlds-most-liveable-city-baghdad-still-worst-idUSKBN1GW00T. Accessed 9 Apr. 2019.

Marr, Phebe, and Ibrahim al-Marashi. The Modern History of Iraq. 4th ed. Westview, 2017.