If Baghdad today is a byword for inner-city decay and violence on an unspeakable scale, its foundation 1,250 years ago was a glorious milestone in the history of urban design. More than that, it was a landmark for civilisation, the birth of a city that would quickly become the cultural lodestar of the world. Contrary to popular belief, Baghdad is old but not ancient. Founded in AD762 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur “The Victorious” as the new seat of his Islamic empire, in Mesopotamian terms it is more arriviste than grande dame – an upstart compared to Nineveh, Ur and Babylon (seventh, fourth and third millennium BC respectively).
Modern Iraq was created after World War I, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. In 1920, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate over the region, forming the Kingdom of Iraq in 1921 under King Faisal I. The kingdom was established by combining three Ottoman provinces — Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra — into one state, despite significant ethnic and religious diversity. Modern Iraq was created after World War I, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. In 1920, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate over the region, forming the Kingdom of Iraq in 1921 under King Faisal I.
