Which Asian capital was founded by Caliph Al-Mansur in 762?

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Which Asian capital was founded by Caliph Al-Mansur in 762? Baghdad was founded by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur in 762 CE.

Al-Mansur selected the site on the Tigris River after the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads and sought a new imperial capital. Construction was commissioned on 30 July 762, and the city was developed under the guidance of engineers and administrators from across the Abbasid realm.

The original settlement is famous as the Round City, a circular planned core with concentric walls, gates, canals, gardens, and a central palace and mosque. Its design was highly deliberate: Baghdad was intended to project Abbasid authority and provide an efficient base for governing a vast empire.

Baghdad later became a leading centre of scholarship during the Islamic Golden Age, associated with institutions such as the House of Wisdom. It was devastated by the Mongol conquest in 1258, but remained Iraq’s capital. A common mix-up is confusing Baghdad’s 762 foundation with older settlements that existed in the area long before the Abbasid city.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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