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Houses were built of mudbrick, stone or sometimes wood. In addition, the outside of a house was painted.

They had several clever features like high ceilings to help with the hot climate.

Wooden screens over windows helped to keep houses cool by letting air inside while keeping the sun’s heat out.

Inside, houses were built around a central courtyard which sometimes had a garden or fountain. There were also charcoal ovens that were used to bake bread.

The houses were decorated with textiles on the walls, screens and pottery. People were used to sitting on carpets or low platforms which could be rolled out when needed.

In this period, many people lived a nomadic lifestyle. This meant they lived in tents and could move around. This suited their lifestyle of herding animals.

As more cities were built, more people began to settle down and stay in one place.

• Caliph Al-Mansur ordered the building of Baghdad between AD762 and AD767.
• There were around 1 million people living in Baghdad by AD900.
• This made it the largest city in the world at the time.

Baghdad was also known as the Round City because it was built in a circle. All the important buildings like the House of Wisdom and Caliph’s Palace were in the centre of the city. The House of Wisdom was a huge learning centre where people studied.

Baghdad was built close to the Tigris River and many important trade routes passed through the city.

Lots of people travelled to the city bringing with them ideas, wealth and goods. The city was world famous as a centre of learning with libraries and schools. It even had a hospital.

Many buildings had patterns on them created from coloured tiles. Others had handwriting called calligraphy on them with words from the holy book, the �ϳܰ�’a��.

Mosques had minarets which are thin towers with balconies. People would be called to prayer from these.

Doors and windows were often designed as arches.