Baghdad : Old Historical Background

التفاصيل

تم إنشاءه بتاريخ الجمعة, 04 كانون1/ديسمبر 2015 10:30

كتب بواسطة: Prof. Fouad Y. Kazanghi

                 Prof. Fouad Y. Kazanghi


Iraq, The Land of of Two Rivers or Mesopotamia , has a long history , which gives witness to the greatness the country  has known over the centuries particuarly when first civilization has been initiated in Mesopotamia which is the Sumerian Civilization.(1)

During ancient times the lands now comprising Iraq, were known as Mesopotaamia or Land Between the Rivers, a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the worlds earliest civilizations including those of Summer, Akkad, Baylon and Assyrian. (2)
Baghdad evokes probably more fabulous images than any other citiy in the Orient. Throughout most of its long and eventful history ,quest  it has been the prised jewel of the Near East as the city of the delightful  (Arabian Nights) and heart of the Arab World in the Middle Ages ,since its foundation between 762-767 A.D.
However,archaeological evidence shows that the site of Baghdad was occupied by old Mesopotamian Peaple before the Arab Conquest , particualrly during the Babylonian Civilization : Also During the Persian-Christian Era between the first century and the year of 732 A.D. When the area of Baghdad was occupied by a town called (Sook Bagdad) or the Market of Bagdad in the eastern side of the river Tigres.  Opposite of this area there was a village called Karkh :This name which was used by Arameans and Chaldians in the Kingdom of Mishan in  southwest of Persia . It is also used for the name of old (Karkuk) as Karkh-Slookh .(1)
Nearby Suk-Bakdad ws a famous monastry (Mar Baithun) which the Caliph Abu Ja,ffar Al-Mansour visited before building the city of Baghdad,asking them about the climate of the area they were living in.
Moreover ,archaological evidence shows that the cite of Baghdad was occupied by the Babylonians in A.D.637. The famous Michaux Stone , fouand by a French physician living in Baghdad in 1870, refers to a Babylonian town called (Bak-da-du ) which relates to the Twelfth Century B.C. The Iraqi Directorate of Archaology found an embankment on the Tigris River near the Karkh end of (Bab-Al Moadham,s Bridge), which belong to the period (c.600 B.C.). Also the directorate of Archaology fouad the name of Bagdadu written on Kuduru Stone or a Road stone  with the same name which related to the era of a Babylonian King (Nazi- Marintash) who ruled between (1298-1323 B.C.) . All that means that Bagdadu had been an ancient city which was built near the ancient riverlet of river Tigris which was called (Al-Ssurat).(3)
The city of Baghdad famed for its circular plan which might influenced by the circular walls of the remains of the round city-state (Hatra ) near the city of Mosul.
 Baghdad spread rapidly particularly when extended to the eastern bank when was built a bridge over the river Tigris. Baghdad reached its Peak during the eras of Caliphs Haroun al-Rashid and Abu-Jaffar Al-Mansour in the 8th century. They could established a new Academy called as the The Academy of Nissibis 494-612 A.D. and of Gundi-Shabur or Danshakah-gundi-Shabur 540-612 .The
During the Persian-Christian era, between the second and early Seventh Century A.D. The Christianity spreaded through out many Iraqi cities such as Hirta or Al-Hira, Kashkar, Karkh-Slookh, Hidyab or Adiabene, Der-qunny (near recently Kut) and Der near the Persian borders. (4)



Main Sources
1-Kazanghi, Fouad Y. Baghdad the city of Peace. 2000.
2-Encyc. Britannica (Baghdad).
3-Mahdi, Ali M. Urban Growth for old Baghdad .Amanat al-Assima. Baghdad ,1986. The text is in Arabic. P.5-9
4-Kazanghi, Fouad Y. The History of Syriac Culture . Arbil. The Directorate General of Syriac Culture. 2013,P.110-112.

الگاردينيا: لأول مرة ننشر مقالة بالأنكليزية بطلب من كاتب المقال البروفيسور/ فؤاد قزانجي