762 CE
A transformative year in which the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur founded Baghdad, a city that would become the intellectual and commercial center of the medieval Islamic world.
Politics & Power
- Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad on the western bank of the Tigris River in present-day Iraq, designing it as a perfectly round city called Madinat al-Salam, the City of Peace, to serve as the new capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.
- Baghdad's location at the crossroads of major trade routes connecting the Mediterranean, Central Asia, India, and China made it ideally situated to become the largest and most prosperous city in the world within a few generations.
Conflict & Diplomacy
- The An Lushan Rebellion continued to devastate China, with Tang forces recapturing the capital Chang'an the previous year but struggling to fully suppress the revolt across the empire.
Climate & Environment
- Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 276 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
Population & Demographics
- World population is estimated to have been approximately 245 million.