Geography Link - why was Baghdad the ideal place?
Design and Technology Link - Make their own round city. What would they include?
The Round City
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Islamic civilisation, with the newly built city of Baghdad at its heart, led the way in science, literature, mathematics, astrology and many other fields. With the Silk Road enabling merchants, traders and travellers to travel from East to West, Baghdad became the centre of learning, trade, commerce and ideas. Great scholars translated ancient literature into Arabic in huge libraries in the House of Wisdom; pioneering scientists, mathematicians, doctors and astrologers penned their ideas that would pave the way for numerous inventions; and the bustling markets traded goods from Spain to China. Although Baghdad was destroyed by the Mongols in 1258, the Golden Age of Islam would influence civilisation for many years to come, and continues to do so today.
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An ideal place
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Due to its geographical location, the Middle East was an ideal place for travellers from Europe, Asia and Africa to exchange goods, ideas, knowledge and trade.
Building a great city
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The Abbasid Caliphate started to build a new city from scratch; a city that would be the largest in the world and the centre for learning, as philosophers, mathematicians, astrologers, doctors, scientists and engineers all headed there to further their studies. The city was Baghdad; work started in 762 and was completed six years later. Also known as the Round City, Baghdad was soon the largest city in the world, with over a million inhabitants. Being situated on the banks of the River Tigris meant that Baghdad became a hub for new learning, inventions and ideas, as merchants from all over the world visited the city.
Watch this video to find out more about how Baghdad (also known as The round City) was built
A map showing Baghdad
A map showing the trade routes for Baghdad
A map of Baghdad
Building a great city
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The Abbasid Caliphate started to build a new city from scratch; a city that would be the largest in the world and the centre for learning, as philosophers, mathematicians, astrologers, doctors, scientists and engineers all headed there to further their studies. The city was Baghdad; work started in 762 and was completed six years later. Also known as the Round City, Baghdad was soon the largest city in the world, with over a million inhabitants. Being situated on the banks of the River Tigris meant that Baghdad became a hub for new learning, inventions and ideas, as merchants from all over the world visited the city.
Kingdom of Mercia, England, AD 773-96
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Offa was a King of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.
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This gold coin is very important because it gives us some clues about the time when it was made.
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It has been made to look like a gold dinar from Baghdad in the Abbasid Caliphate. This is interesting because it means that people in Anglo Saxon England had either seen dinar brought to England by traders or perhaps they had travelled to places where people had used them.
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There is Arabic text on the coin, but the person that inscribed it probably didn’t read Arabic. We know this because it is not copied very well. The English writing ‘Offa Rex’ means King Offa but it has been written upside down in relation to the Arabic.
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Although it is a copy of a gold dinar, it is close enough to the original that it would have been accepted for trading. At that time in the Mediterranean, dinars were rare and valuable. By including his name on the coin, Offa ensured that people in far lands would know of his importance.
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Offa made lots of other coins but they were mostly of a Roman style. The gold dinar coin was something much more special.
