capital of Iraq, on the Tigris River: pop. 4,689,000: as the capital of a caliphate, it flourished (8th-9th cent.) as a commercial & cultural center and the chief city of Islam
See Baghdad in American Heritage Dictionary 4
or Bag·dad
The capital and largest city of Iraq, in the center of the country on the Tigris River. Founded in the eighth century, it was heavily damaged by U.S. forces during the Persian Gulf War (1991). Population: 5,670,000.