An illustrated Baghdad along the Tigris, with palm trees, blue domes and boats on the river, in a carved gilded arch.

Heart of
the Golden Age

Baghdad

762 — 1258

For five centuries, Baghdad stood at the centre of a Golden Age of learning.

Scroll

The journey

Follow the city from its founding on the Tigris to the hospitals, libraries, and scholars that made it one of the great centres of knowledge in history.

The story

Three Golden Ages

  • I · 762–833

    Foundations

    A capital rises on the Tigris and begins gathering knowledge

  • II · 833–945

    The Flourishing

    Scholars translate, test, and invent as power shifts.

  • III · 945–1258

    Enduring Brilliance

    Learning becomes institutions, and books travel far beyond the city.

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Period I

762–833

Foundations

In seventy years, a new capital rose on the Tigris, drew people from across an empire, and began gathering knowledge from many languages.

The round city of Baghdad on the Tigris, with mountains on the horizon