Q 01/05

On which river does Baghdad stand?

A) Tigris

B) Jordan

C) Nile

D) Euphrates

Answer · why

A) Tigris

Tigris. Baghdad sits where the river runs closest to the Euphrates, about 40 km away, so canals could join the two and boats brought trade from both.

Q 02/05

Which caliph founded Baghdad in 762 AD?

A) Al-Ma'mun

B) Al-Mansur

C) Al-Musta'sim

D) Harun al-Rashid

Answer · why

B) Al-Mansur

Al-Mansur picked a spot where, by Arab accounts, little stood but a Christian monastery. Its monks are said to have encouraged him to build there.

Q 03/05

Which caliphate made Baghdad its capital in the 8th century?

A) Fatimid

B) Umayyad

C) Abbasid

D) Ottoman

Answer · why

C) Abbasid

Abbasid caliphs overthrew the Umayyads of Damascus with strong Persian support, so they turned the empire eastward and built their new capital in Iraq...

Q 04/05

What did Baghdad's founder officially name his new capital?

A) Throne of the Faithful

B) Gate of the East

C) City of Light

D) City of Peace

Answer · why

D) City of Peace

City of Peace, Madinat as-Salam in Arabic, was the official name. People kept using the site's much older name, Baghdad, which in the end replaced it.

Q 05/05

Which meaning is most often given for the name Baghdad?

A) Bestowed by God

B) Crossing of the caravans

C) Fortress of the king

D) Home of the moon

Answer · why

A) Bestowed by God

Bestowed by God is the usual reading, from Persian bagh, god, and dad, given, though the origin is disputed. The name is older than Islam, kept from a...