Liberal Arts Blog — Baghdad, Ctesiphon, Babylon
Liberal Arts Blog — Sunday is the Joy of Humor, Food, Travel, Practical Life Tips, and Miscellaneous Day
Today’s Topic — Baghdad, Ctesiphon, Babylon — close neighbors, now all in Iraq, each once the largest city in the world
During the “Islamic golden age,” Baghdad was a center of learning with allegedly more books than any other city in the world. It was founded just around the corner from other cities with claims to being the “largest city in the world” for more or less extended periods — Ctesiphon and Babylon. Bagdad is on the Tigris as is Ctesiphon. Babylon on the Euphrates. Ctesiphon and Baghdad thrived on Silk Road commerce. Today, a few very random notes on each of these three historic cities. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
DESIGNED AS A ROUND CITY BY THE ABBASID CALIPH AL MANSUR IN 762–6 AD
1. The model for the city was Persian. The Persians were into round cities.
2. Damascus had been the capital of the preceding Islamic Caliphate; the Umayyads.
3. Al Mansur was not a nice guy — he came to power by having his arch-rival, Abu Muslim, assassinated. But after the murder, he kept the body around to mutilate it and “glut his eyes with the spectacle.”
NB: The largest city in the world from 750 to 932. Preceded by Chang-an (China) To be succeeded, briefly, by Cordoba (Spain), and then Kaifeng (China).
CTESIPHON — only 22 miles southeast of Baghdad — the largest city in the world (575–622 AD)!
1. A Persian city, the capital of the Sassanian Empire (226–637), considered to be the historical peak of pre-Islamic Persian civilization. Above is its most famous ruin — the Arch of Ctesiphon. Also known as Taq Kasra.
2. Before that Ctesiphon was capital of the Parthian Empire from 247 BC to 224 AD
3. By the end of the 8th century, everyone had moved up the road to Baghdad.
BABYLON — only 50 miles south of Baghdad — the largest city in the world (612–320 BC)
1. Above is a reconstruction of the Ishtar gate of ancient Babylon.
2. In Masonic lore, the birthplace of freemasonry and a place of science and knowledge.
3. In Reggae, Babylon is a symbol of both capitalist materialism and the British Empire.
List of largest cities throughout history
YOUR TURN
So have you been to Babylon? to Baghdad? Highlights of the trip? Anything miscellaneous to share from anywhere? Jokes? Practical life tips? Favorite foods? Random facts?
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. Or to cement in your mind a memory that might otherwise disappear. Or to think more deeply about something dear to your heart. Continuity is key to depth of thought.
