Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers flow through the city. It is the fourth largest metropolis in the Middle East following Cairo, Tehran and Istanbul. The population is estimated at about 7 million as of 2006. Baghdad, one of the ancient Mesopotamia, located at the foot of the Tigris River, has flourished as one of the world's largest metropolises along with Jangan and Constantinople in the 8th century AD. It was founded by the Abbasid dynasty around 762, designed as a planned city and became the capital. At that time, the city area was ten times bigger than the current city area. After the 16th century, it entered the Ottoman Empire and was occupied by British troops in 1917. In 1921, when it became independent of the kingdom of Iraq, it became its capital.