Baghdad is the capital city of Iraq. It is located right in the middle of Mesopotamia and on the Tigris River. Baghdad is the biggest city in Iraq and is among the most populated urban towns in the Middle East. It became the capital city of Iraq in 1920, and over the next 50 years, it grew exponentially and adopted all the attributes of a modern city.

Baghdad city was founded in 762. During that period, it was the capital city of the Abbasid dynasty, and for the next five centuries, it was one of the biggest cities in the world and an important cultural center for Islamic and Arab communities.

Later, it was conquered by Hulegu, who was the leader of Mongolia, following which its prominence decreased. Under the Ottoman Empire, it was a provincial capital. It only recovered its greatness in 1920 after becoming the capital of Iraq.

Baghdad was badly damaged by the Persian Gulf War between 1990 and 1991 and the Iraq war of 2003 to 2011. Later, another war took place between 2013 and 2017 and left a lot of destruction in its wake where historical and artifacts cultural heritage was lost.

It also went through a tough time when the United Nations imposed economic sanctions. Despite all these, the city has survived, and it still has an attraction and mystery that many cities lack.

During the peaceful times, the city is vibrant with;

• Institutes
• Universities
• Museums
• Family recreations
• Gardens
• Public parks
• Cafes
• Restaurants
• Recreation centers like the two islands in the Tigris, Zoo, Al Zawra Public Park and Lunar Amusement Park.
• Scholars

The climate is dry and hot in summer, and it is damp and cool in winter. The layout of the city is such that it lies along both banks of the River Tigris.