Hello, my name is Ms. Krijnauw.

I'm really pleased that you have joined me for this history lesson.

It is my job to travel back in time with you so that we can learn more about another fascinating time in history.

This unit's learning is about the early Islamic civilization and how Baghdad became the 'City of Peace'.

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

Before we start the lesson, it is helpful to learn some important keywords that'll help you make sense of the learning.

You could pause the video to take a note of these words and their meanings in case you need to refer back to it during the lesson.

Here are those keywords, Abbasid, Al-Mansur, populous, public facilities.

I'm going to say these words again, but this time you can say them with me, Abbasid, Al-Mansur, populous, public facilities.

Well, what do these words mean? An Abbasid is a member of the third dynasty of caliphs that ruled the Islamic Empire after Muhammad.

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.

Today's lesson about Baghdad, the 'City of Peace' is divided into three parts.

In the first part, we will be learning more about the Abbasid Caliphate.

The Abbasid Caliphate was another huge Islamic dynasty that was ruled by a Muslim Caliph because the Abbasids followed a dynastic rule, the Caliph was usually the son or other male relative of the previous Caliph.

The Abbasid Caliphate overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate.

That means that the Abbasids took control of the Islamic Empire by removing the Umayyads from power by force.

The Abbasids were particularly powerful and ruled the Islamic world for about 500 years.

The Abbasid Caliphate was ruled by strong leaders, and they controlled a vast empire that stretched from Tunis, in Tunisia, to Multan in Pakistan and included the Middle East, Western Asia, and northeast Africa, including Egypt.

It was a huge area.

Wow, we've already taken in quite a lot of new learning, so let's pause a minute to consolidate our understanding.

Which of the following statements about the Abbasid Caliphate are true? The Abbasid Caliphate were in charge of the Islamic Empire after the Abbasid Caliphate.

The Abbasid Caliphate were in charge of the Islamic Empire straight after the death of the prophet Muhammad or C, the Abbasid Caliphate controlled the vast empire.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Did you say that the Abbasid Caliphate were in charge of the Islamic Empire after the Umayyad Caliphate and that it controlled the vast empire? Well, if you did, you're absolutely right.

Well done.

We are ready to get onto today's first learning task.

It says, read Izzy's statement below.

Do you agree? "The Abbasid Caliphate was very successful." Write one or two sentences to explain your reasoning.

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

Pause the video here to give yourself enough time to write one or two sentences, and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Here is an example of an answer that you could have given in response to Izzy's statement.

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 your answer is similar to that, and particularly if you managed to include the words highlighted in purple.

We are now ready to move onto the second part of this lesson, which is entitled Baghdad is founded.

The second Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate was called, Al-Mansur.

He decided that he wanted to build a brand new city to be the new capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.

The building started on the 30th of July 762 CE and Al-Mansur believed that it would be the perfect city.

The Caliph, Al-Mansur wanted a city that would show off how wealthy the Abbasid Caliphate was.

He consulted engineers and artists and surveyors from around the world to help him draw our plans for the city.

In the end, over 100,000 construction workers were involved in the building of the city, and it took approximately five years to build.

It soon became the richest and most popular city the world had seen at until then.

Some historians think that at one time more than 1 million people lived there.

Let's check our understanding of what we have just learned.

Carefully read the statements below, who is correct? Laura says, "When Baghdad was founded, it was small because not many people lived there." But 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.

Or do you think Jacob is correct because this city was the most popular city in the world? Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Yes, Jacob is correct because the city was the most popular city in the world, and therefore a lot of people lived there.

We can now move on to the second learning task of this lesson.

Use the words below to complete the paragraph.

So the words are Al-Mansur, populous, capital, and 100,000.

Mhm, the second Abbasid Caliphate, founded Baghdad in the year 762 CE as the new, mhm, of the Abbasid Caliphate.

More than mhm workers were employed to build the city, showing off the Abbasid Caliphate wealth and power.

It became the richest, most mhm city in the world.

Pause the video here to complete the paragraph, and when you are ready to hear the answers, press play.

Let's have a look at the answers.

Al-Mansur, the second Abbasid Caliph founded Baghdad in 762 CE as the new capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.

More than 100,000 workers were employed in the construction of the city, showing off the Abbasid Caliphates wealth and power.

It became the richest, most populous city in the world.

Well done, for completing that paragraph.

Let's move on to the third part of this lesson, which is called Baghdad's location and layout.

Al-Mansur was very particular about where he wanted to build his new spectacular city, Baghdad.

He decided on a site on the banks of the Tigris River in the Mesopotamia valley.

He chose to build Baghdad on the Tigris River because the river was a source of fresh water for the growing population of Baghdad.

The Tigris River was also a natural transportation route.

Boats on the river could easily transport people and goods to and from the city.

Because of this, merchants and traders found it easy to visit Baghdad to sell their goods.

Another reason Al-Mansur chose to build Baghdad on the banks of the river is that the soil was very fertile, which meant that it was good for farming.

Al-Mansur knew that farmers would help ensure that there would be enough food to feed all the people living in Baghdad, as well as those people who visited.

We will now take a moment to check our understanding of what we have just learned.

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.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Well, you could have said The Tigris River provided Baghdad with fresh water to drink, a natural transportation route and fertile soil for farming.

Well done if your answer was similar to mine.

Al-Mansur wanted to build a city like no other, and so the layout of the city was unique.

It was laid out in the shape of a large circle.

At the centre was the Caliph's palace from which he ruled the Islamic Empire.

Four roads laid away from the palace like spokes on a wheel, and where markets and shops were located.

The outer ring wall was strong and a good defence in case Baghdad was ever attacked.

Al-Mansur also wanted the city to be the centre of culture, so he had many public facilities built so that anybody in the city could enjoy them.

For example, he had parks and gardens and orchards built where people could go to enjoy the fresh air and to relax.

Baghdad also boasted hospitals.

The Abbasids were known for their interest in medical science.

Doctors from all over the Islamic Empire came to Baghdad to study medicine at its hospitals and medical school.

There were also mosques where people could gather to worship.

The House of Wisdom was a major centre for learning and scholarship.

It housed a vast library and scholars, scientists, and translators gathered there to learn, to debate and to translate important texts into Arabic.

The public facilities showed off how wealthy and cultured the Abbasid Caliphate was.

Al-Mansur chose that Baghdad be known as the 'City of Peace', a place where people could live and flourish in harmony and where they could prosper.

Let's check our understanding of what we have just learned.

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? Pause a video here and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Well, of course, there were no theme parks in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate.

However, there were hospitals, libraries, and mosques.

Well done if you got that right.

We can now move on to the third learning task of this lesson.

Imagine that you're a person living in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate.

Design a poster to encourage people to visit Baghdad, the 'City of Peace'.

Here are some words to help you, Tigris River, circular design, public facilities, and House of Wisdom.

Pause the video here to give yourself enough time to design a poster, and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Here is an example of a poster that you could have designed and some examples of what you could have included in your poster.

It says, come and explore Baghdad, the 'City of Peace'.

See its unique circular design.

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

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

Join a debate with scholars from around the world at the famous House of Wisdom, and I've also included a drawing or an image of the circular city of Baghdad.

Well done if your poster looks similar to this one, particularly if you used the words and phrases highlighted in blue.

We have come to the end of this lesson about Baghdad, the 'City of Peace'.

But before we go, let's summarise what we have learned.

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

Baghdad was founded in 760 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 popular 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 for joining me in this history lesson about the early Islamic civilization and Baghdad, the 'City of Peace'.

I've enjoyed having you with me in this learning adventure, and I hope to see you again very soon.