Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Miah.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson.

Let's get started.

In this lesson, you'll be able to explain the founding of the city of Baghdad.

Your keywords are on the screen now.

I'd like you to repeat them after me, or you could write them down.

We have the keywords, Abbasid, Al-Mansur, populous, Public facilities.

Great.

Let's find out what these keywords mean.

An Abbasid was a member of the third dynasty of caliphs that ruled the Islamic Empire after Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Al-Mansur was the second caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate.

A populous city or place has a large number of people living there.

Public facilities are spaces, equipment, and services that can be used by anyone in the community.

Super.

Let's move on.

Our lesson today is all about Baghdad, the City of Peace.

We have three lesson cycles.

Our first lesson cycle is to do with the Abbasid Caliphate.

We're then gonna look into how Baghdad is founded.

And then, lastly, we're gonna look at Baghdad's location and layout.

I'm super excited for this lesson.

I hope you are too.

Let's begin.

So, on the left here, we have painting of the first Abbasid caliph.

The Abbasid Caliphate overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate and ruled the Islamic world for approximately 500 years.

Over to you.

The Abbasid Caliphate took control of the Islamic Empire by removing the, from power.

Is it, A, Rashidun Caliphate, B, Muhammad, peace be upon him, Caliphate, or, C, the Umayyad Caliphate.

What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got answer.

So, what did you get? If you got C, you are correct.

The Abbasid Caliphate took control of the Islamic Empire by removing the Umayyad Caliphate from power.

Let's move on.

To the left, we have a map showing the size of the Abbasid Caliphate.

The Abbasid controlled a vast empire that stretched from Tunis to Multan.

Over to you.

Which of the following statements about the Abbasid Caliphate are true? Is it, A, the Abbasid Caliphate was in charge of the Islamic Empire after the Umayyad Caliphate? B, the Abbasid Caliphate was in charge of the Islamic Empire straight after Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Or, C, the Abbasid Caliphate controlled a vast empire.

What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got your answers.

So, what did you get? If you got A and C, you are correct.

The Abbasid Caliphate was in charge of the Islamic Empire after the Umayyad Caliphate.

And, C, the Abbasid Caliphate controlled a vast empire.

B is incorrect.

The Abbasid Caliphate was not in charge of the Islamic Empire straight after Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

It was the Umayyad Caliphate that were in charge after Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Let's move on.

Task A.

I'd like you to read Izzy's statement below.

Do you agree? Izzy says, "The Abbasid Caliphate was very successful." I'd like you to write one or two sentences to explain your reasoning.

A good explanation should include the following, 500 years, vast empire.

Off you go.

Click play when you're ready to rejoin us.

Your answer may have included something like this.

I agree with Izzy because the Abbasid Caliphate ruled the Islamic world for 500 years.

The Abbasids controlled a vast empire that stretched from Tunis to Multan and included the Middle East, Western Asia, and Northeast Africa.

Well done if you manage to include those two key points.

Let's move on.

Lesson cycle two.

Baghdad is founded.

Here we have an illustration of Al-Mansur.

In 762 CE, the second Abbasid caliph, Al-Mansur, wanted to create a new and impressive capital city for the Abbasid Caliphate.

The new capital city was named Baghdad.

True or false? Al-Mansur, the second Umayyad caliph, wanted to create a new capital city.

Is this true or is this false? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So, what did you get? If you got false, well done.

Why do you think this is? You can pause the video again and click play when you've got the answer.

So, what did you get? Well, Al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph, wanted to create a new capital city for the Abbasid Caliphate.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's move on.

To the left, there was a drawing of the impressive city of Baghdad once it was finished.

Built by 100,000 workers to show off the Abbasid wealth and power, Baghdad became the richest, most populous city in the world.

Over to you.

Read the statements below.

Who is correct? Laura says, "When Baghdad was founded, it was small because not many people lived there." Jacob says, "When Baghdad was founded, it was a large city because lots of people lived there." So, A, Laura is correct because the city was small, so it could not house many people.

B, Jacob is correct because the city was the most populous city in the world.

What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So, what did you get? If you agreed with Jacob, you are correct.

Jacob is correct because the city was the most populous in the world.

Super.

Let's move on.

Task B.

I'd like you to answer the following questions.

One, who founded the new capital city of the Abbasid Caliphate? Two, what was the name of this city? Three, why was this city built? You can pause the video here and click play when you've answered these questions.

So, what did you get? For question one, you should have got this.

Al-Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph, founded the new capital city.

The new city was called Baghdad.

And for question three, why was this city built? Well, the city was built to show off the Abbasid Caliphate's wealth and power.

Let's move on.

Lesson cycle three.

Baghdad's location and layout.

Here we have a map of the Mesopotamian Valley.

Baghdad was built on the fertile banks of the Tigris River in the Mesopotamia Valley.

The Tigris River provided the city with fresh water to drink and natural transportation route and fertile soil for farming.

So, here, we have a photo of the Tigris River.

Over to you.

Use the images to say why Al-Mansur chose to build Baghdad on the Tigris River.

Start your sentence with, the Tigris River provided Baghdad with.

And then, you could mention the three things we have here.

Water, boat, soil.

Off you go.

Pause the video and click play when you're ready to rejoin us.

So, what did you get? Well, the Tigris River provided Baghdad with fresh water to drink.

This water could also be used for farming crops, washing, and cleaning.

Cities need rivers to survive.

A natural transportation route.

Fertile soil for farming.

The river made Baghdad easy to reach.

Boats could carry goods and people.

Traders came from Asia, Africa, and Europe.

This helped Baghdad become rich and busy.

The river helped protect the city as well.

It acted like a natural barrier.

Enemies found it harder to attack.

Canals and walls made the city safer.

On the left, we have an illustration of the round city of Baghdad.

Baghdad was unique as it had a circular layout.

Baghdad had many different public facilities, like parks and gardens.

Here we have a photo of the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad.

Baghdad also had many hospitals and mosques.

On the left, we have a painting of an early Islamic hospital, and on the right, we have a photo of a mosque.

The House of Wisdom was an important library and learning centre.

It's an example of another public facility in Baghdad.

So, here, we have an illustration of scholars sharing ideas in the House of Wisdom.

It was a giant library, thousands of books and scrolls.

Texts from Greece, Rome, Persia, India, and China.

Books were carefully copied and protected.

Scholars translated important books into Arabic.

They worked on maths, science, medicine, astronomy, geography.

This meant old knowledge was said instead of being lost.

Scholars didn't just copy books, they tested ideas, made new discoveries, developed algebra, improved medicine and astronomy.

Scholars of different religions and cultures work together.

Muslims, Christians, and Jews shared ideas, and learning mattered more than background.

Under the Abbasids, learning was very important.

People translated books from Greek and Roman times.

Did you also know that new ideas like algebra were developed? Doctors wrote medical books still used centuries later.

Over to you.

Which of the following public facilities was not available in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate? Was it, A, hospitals, B, theme parks, C, libraries, or, D, mosques? What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So, what did you get? Well, you should've got B, theme parks.

They were not available in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's move on.

Task C.

I'd like you to design a poster with a partner that might have encouraged people to visit Baghdad, the City of Peace, during the Abbasid Caliphate.

Here are some words to help you.

Tigris River, circular design, public facilities, House of Wisdom.

Off you go.

Have fun.

Click play when you're ready to rejoin us.

So, how did it go? Well, you may have created something like this.

We've got here, Come and explore Baghdad, the City of Peace.

See its unique circular design.

Try our delicious fresh drinking water and a boat ride along the Tigris River.

Use the city's many public facilities, like parks and mosques.

Join a debate with scholars from around the world at the famous House of Wisdom.

Well done if you managed to create a poster that would've encouraged people to visit Baghdad.

Fantastic.

Let's summarize our learning.

So, this lesson was all about Baghdad, the City of Peace.

The Abbasid Caliphate overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate in 750 CE and ruled land from Tunis to Multan.

Baghdad was founded in 762 CE by caliph Al-Mansur as the capital city of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Built by 100,000 workers to show off Abbasid wealth and power, it became the richest, most populous city in the world.

It was built on the fertile banks of the River Tigris in the Mesopotamia Valley.

Baghdad had a circular layout and many public facilities like parks, hospitals, libraries, and mosques.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson.

I hope you really enjoyed it.

Bye.