1. Everyday Life in Baghdad
Early Islamic Civilisation
Everyday Life in Baghdad
Aspects of everyday life in Baghdad
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2. Baghdad, Madinat al-Salam, the City of Peace, quickly grew to be the capital of a vast civilisation. The 9th century CE was the ‘golden age’ of Baghdad, when the metropolis was at its glorious height. Unbelievable wealth poured in along the ‘silk road’ from the furthest reaches of the Islamic world; its markets and bazaars were brim-full with all the world’s goods; its palaces and public buildings were a wonder to behold; its artisans and craftsmen were unmatched in skill and refinement; scholars, scientists, philosophers, theologians and poets converged on Baghdad, raising its intellectual and artistic status beyond all other cities of the time.

3. Commissioned by Caliph Al-Mansur, the city was built in four years between by over 100,000 engineers, surveyors, artists and construction workers from all over the known world.

4. Within the city there were many parks, gardens, villas and promenades.

6. In the centre of the city lay the mosque and the headquarters of the city guards.

7. The city was surrounded by a 30m high wall - 44m thick at the bottom and 12m thick at the top - there were four gates.

8. Each gate had double doors that were made of iron; the doors were so heavy it took several men to open and close them.

9. There was a second wall, 50m thick, it had towers and rounded ‘merlons’.
Beyond the outer wall was a water-filled moat.

10. Baghdad became a hub of learning and commerce.
Scholars visited its great library, The House of Wisdom, from all over the world.

11. In the House of Wisdom, a scholar/ scribe writes notes in a book, perhaps translating an important scientific or mathematical work from Latin into Arabic.
Others use this great place of learning - which housed over 400,000 hand-written books - as a focal point to meet, read and share ideas.

12. By 900 CE, Baghdad was the biggest city in the world, with over 1 million inhabitants.

13. At the top of this image, a boy - in a short tunic and cap - leads animals yoked to the saqiyya, a geared water-raising device that irrigated fields and gardens. The boy grasps the tail of the animal and carries a switch as the animals pace around the circle, turning the wheel to raise the water. The water flows into the lower part of the illustration, where guests sit in a garden around a basin and decorative fountain, listening to poetry and music accompanied by a lute.
This scene reflects urban as well as rural social life.
The social class of the boy is likely beneath that of the group attending the social gathering, perhaps the son of the family who cultivated the land, or a servant.

14. In this painting of a kuttab, or primary school, boys sit on a mat or carpet huddled close together with their writing boards. Boys, and sometimes girls, learned to recite the Qur'an at an early age, as well as the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic in such schools: often a mosque or perhaps a building especially for the purpose.
This type of school was common in urban and rural settings throughout Muslim lands.
Notice the fan suspended from the ceiling, with one of the boys pulling a rope to swing it. I wonder if everybody took a turn to do this, or whether the boy chosen for this task was the one least proficient in his lessons!

15. Traders gather by one of the city gates, huddled in the shade cast by the arch and city walls. They are selling fruits, vegetables and fabrics.
In the foreground, a wealthier man appears to be attended by a servant or two, one of whom carries his purchases in a basket on the head.

16. A portrayal of everyday life in residential Baghdad, with each door open to show the family and work being done.
A girl stands in one doorway with a woman, probably her mother. A woman in another doorway appears to call to someone, while a husband and wife nearby converse or argue. Poultry roost on the roofs of houses, a woman spins thread, and people tend domestic animals, including sheep, goats and water buffalo, often the work of women and children.