many major cities were established by Islamic rulers. in 762, the second Abbasid Caliph, al-Mansur, established Madinat as-Salam, now known as Baghdad, on the river Tigris in Iraq. the city was round and enclosed by three walls with a great gate at each of the points of the compass, which was named for the province or city that lay in that direction. commercial and residential areas lay in the outer parts of the city, while at the centre of Baghdad stood the dynasty’s imperial palace and mosque.
at Samarra, also on the Tigris in Iraq, al-Mansur’s successor al-Mutasim established a new royal capital in the years after 836. the city, which included several beautiful palaces as well as the inspiring Great mosque extended no less than 32km along the banks of the river Tigris. the name, according to medieval Islamic historians,meant a delight for all who see it Samarra Served as the capital city until Caliph al-Mutamid returned to Baghdad.
other examples of splendid new cities built to glorify rulers and dynasties include ; Cairo in Egypt, founded in 969 by the Fatimid dynasty; Madinat al-Zahra near Cordoba in Islamic Spain,built in 936-40 by exiled Umayyad Prince Abd al-Rahman III ; and Sultaniyya in north-eastern Iran , built by Ilkhanid ruler Uljaytu. little remains of these monuments and complexes that were built from the 15th century onward, notably in Iran, India and Turkey,have survived.
in India , Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great built Fatehpur Sikri as a new capital in 1569 to celebrate the longed-for birth of a male heir the future Emperor Jahangir and raised he monumental Gate of Victory in front of the Courtyard of the Great mosque. he built the city on the site of the camp previously occupied by Sufu mystic and saint Salim Chishti , who had blessed Akbar and thereby apparently brought about the birth of Jahangir. the courtyard contains the Tomb of Salim Chishti,which