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b"\\u201cNo city in the world will ever rival it for prosperity...\\u201c Baghdad, originally a Christian village in Iraq, was chosen by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur as the site for the new capital of his empire, and it would become a cosmopolis to rival Rome or Babylon. Its foundations were built in a perfect circle, with walls 90 feet tall, and at its heart, the monumental Palace of the Golden Gate. Rejecting the Umayyad Caliphate's desire to conquer Constantinople, Al-Mansur founded his own \\u201ccentre of the universe\\u201d. In the second part of our series on Baghdad, Tom and Dominic look at how the Abbasids solidified their rule after overthrowing the Umayyads, and the beginnings of Baghdad as their new capital.\\n\\n*The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*:\\n\\nTom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia!\\n\\nBuy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com\\n\\nTwitter:\\xa0\\n\\n@TheRestHistory\\n\\n@holland_tom\\n\\n@dcsandbrook\\n\\nProducer: Theo Young-Smith\\n\\nExecutive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"