Page 35 - A History of the World in 25 Cities

Being next
to the River Tigris
meant that the city had access to trading routes
out to the east as well as a supply of fresh water.
The city's many hammams allowed people to stay clean and healthy, as well as being a place to meet friends and gossip.
Ships called ‘dhows’ with
a triangular sail carried goods and people all over the region, sailing between
ports on the Persian Gulf and across the
Indian Ocean as far as China.
There were four huge city gates linked to the centre, called Syria,
Kufa, Khurasan and Basra.
Baghdad’s docks were large enough
for hundreds of different ships to come and go at once.
Trading vessels and their owners brought goods here
from all over the known world.
Beautifully designed with fountains and flowing
water features.
Baghdad quickly established itself as
a place of learning and science, with a constant flow of scholars and scientists into and out of the city. Central to this was the House of Wisdom, also known as the Grand Library of Baghdad. Manuscripts were brought here from far and wide to be translated into Arabic. This gathering of knowledge from other cultures led to many amazing discoveries in medicine, mathematics and astronomy.
Busy colourful markets sprang up around the city gates selling food, leather, jewellery, fabrics and carpets.
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