(Urban Growth of the City of Baghdad according to the writings of the traveler Al-Maqdisi) A geographic-historical study

Abstract

This research examines the concept of urban growth and the key factors that contributed to the urbanization of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, in the 4th century AH (10th century CE). It draws on the perspective of the traveler al-Muqaddasi in his book "Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Ma'rifat al-Aqalim" (The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions), written in 375 AH (985 CE). This work is considered one of the most important sources of human geography for both Arab and foreign geographers, distinguished by its descriptions of the economic, social, and cultural characteristics of the inhabitants of the Islamic regions at that time. It also provides a description and analysis of the urban structure of Islamic cities and establishes a link between urban planning and the economic and social role of the city.