Episode 14: The Islamic City that was 500 years ahead of its time
In the year A.D. 1258, Mongol forces burst into the city of Baghdad and laid waste to everything in their path. Countless books were tossed into the Euphrates, causing it to flow black with ink for six months, while the Tigris flowed red from the blood of the corpses for six months. The death toll stood at 2 million, including those killed by diseases like typhus that spread post-invasion. Scholars fought valiantly but were unable to save what came to be known as the Dome of Islam, or the Abode of Peace. Some fled, others fought and died, while still others were captured, and the Tartar forces saw to it that anything that could be destroyed was destroyed.
But what did they destroy? Baghdad was built almost 500 years prior to its destruction by the ruler Abu Jafar al-Mansoor as an attempt to answer the call in today's Morocco and to establish a capital for the Abbasid Empire after toppling the Umayyads in Damascus. The Abbasid rulers wanted an administration capital that was both moving and ominous. They had enviously gazed upon the majesty of Damascus, the improvements in Jerusalem, and dozens of Umayyad marvels in Andalusia, but the Abbasids sought something different. They wanted not only religious gravitas but scientific achievement.
They looked no further than Iraq, a land with a long history of science and civilization. The people of Sumer had built highly advanced cities, similar to their distant cousins, the Egyptians. Al-Mansoor wanted to follow in their footsteps, and he could not have chosen a better place than Iraq. He called together artisans, stonemasons, architects, astronomers, and every other trade possible to create his city of majesty.
The site chosen was formerly known as Baghdad, where idols had been worshiped. He chose to build another city over that spot. The project began, and within a few years, the city of Dar al-Salaam was ready. It started with a central Masjid, a library, bathhouses, schools, and housing for thousands of students Al-Mansoor hoped would come. The city had seven gates facing the seven directions the circular city faced, so those coming from different regions entered through different gates.
The mammoth library, Dar al-Hikma, was founded, holding some 500,000 volumes of literature in various forms. Foreign books were translated into Arabic, and scholars from India, China, Nubia, and all over Asia and Africa were called to contribute to the sciences. In a very short time, Baghdad eclipsed every other metropolis on Earth in terms of gathering knowledge, exchanging ideas, and debating. Knowledge was taken back to distant lands, leading to the subdivision of current sciences into more specialized fields.
One of al-Mansoor's most remarkable innovations was a fully self-sufficient city with regard to heating and cooling. Tile and marble were laid down in a circular pattern with small slits to allow air to pass through. In winter, steam would pass through from below in underground aquifers, keeping the city warm. In summer, cool air would pass through the slits, maintaining a comfortable temperature. This allowed the city to remain active year-round, unlike other cities in different parts of the world that would close during extreme weather conditions.
The fall of this mighty city to the Tartar invasion in A.D. 1258 had a profound impact on the world. According to historians, it set the world back scientifically for 500 years. Just imagine where science would be today if it were 500 years ahead of its current state. This is an interesting consideration in light of all of Baghdad's achievements.