BAGDAD, the capital of the pashalic of the same name, is situated on both banks of the Tigris, in lat. 33' 20' n.. and long. 44° 23' e. Pop. estimated at 60,000. The city is surrounded by. a brick-wall, 5 m. in circumference; the two parts are connected by a bridge of boats, and the communication is guarded by a citadel. It has an extremely picturesque appearance from the outside, being encircled and interspersed with groves of date-trees, through which one may ciVeli the gleam of domes and minarets; but it does not improve on closer inspection. The streets arc narrow, crooked, unpaved, and dirty, full of ruts, and strewed with dead carcasses, which, however, arc for the most part removed by dogs, the only public scavengers in the east. The exterior of the indi vidual houses corresponds with the repulsive aspect of the streets. They have, in gen eral, no windows towards the front, nou built of old brick; but their interior is often very gorgeously decorated. The vaulted ceilings, rich moldings, inlaid mirrors, and massive gilding, bring back to the recollection of the traveler "the golden time of good Ilarun Al-Basehid." B. contains upwards of 100 mosques. These, together with khans, bazaars, and the palace of the governor, are the only noticeable buildings in the city. The domes and minarets are said to be finer than those of Constantinople, and are beautifully painted. The bazaars exhibit the produce of both Turkish and European markets; but commerce has greatly decreased since Persia began to trade with Europe by way of Trebizonde on the n.. and by the Persian gulf on the south. Nevertheless, though no longer the chief emporium of merchandise between east and west Asia, and though robber Kurds and Arabs lurk on all the roads that lead from the city, B. still carries on a considerable traffic with Aleppo and Damascus, and has manufactures of red and yellow leather, silks, and cotton stuffs. The value of goods that passed through the custom-house at B., in 1874-75, was £452,498. Of the 60,000 inhabitants, the
greater part are Turks and Arabs; the remainder arc Jews, Armenians, Hindus, Afghans, and Persians. In summer, the heat is oppressive; rain does not fall on more than 20 or 30 days throughout the whole year; but when the snows melt on the Armenian hills, the Tigris becomes a majestic, and often a destructive river. In 1831, an inundation destroyed one half of the town, and several thousand lives. The plague visits it peri odically—once every 10 years. In 1831, 4000 people perished daily for several (lays from its ravagesl B. is frequently chosen by Mohammedans of the Shiali sect as a per manent place of residence. Several steamers now ply on the Tigris to and from B.; and here is one of the chief stations of the Anglo-Indian telegraph.
B.- was founded by the Abbaside caliph Almansur, 762-766 A.D.. It was built out of the ruins of Ctesiphon and Seleucia. In the 9th c., it was greatly enlarged by Ilarun Al-Raschid, who erected numerous edifices on the e. side of the Tigris, and connected its two banks by a bridge of boats. The palace, built for himself, and the tomb of his favorite wife, Zobeide, are said to have been of extraordinary splendor. A hundred years. later, B. was ravaged by the Turks. In 1253, the grandson of Genghis Kahn, Hulaku, put an end to the old caliphate; but the descendants of this Tartar conqueror wire expelled by Timur, who took the city in 1393. After several vicissitudes, it remained in the possession of a Turkoman chief, whose dynasty governed until 1470. In the beginning of the 16th c., Shah Ismail, the founder of the Suffide dynasty in Persia, made himself master of it; since which period it has repeatedly been a bone of contention between Turks and Persians. After a memorably obstinate siege, it was conquered by the sultan. 3lurad IV., in 1638. Nadir Shah vainly essayed to retake it in the 18th c., and ever since it has been under the sway of the porte.