Baghdad
Bab al-Wastani is the only surviving gate of the walls that protected the eastern half of Abbasid Baghdad. The walls were built in the early 12th century, and…
Bab al-Wastani is the only surviving gate of the walls that protected the eastern half of Abbasid Baghdad. The walls were built in the early 12th century, and the gate was strengthened under the caliph al-Nasir li-Din Allah. It is a massive round brick tower with a bridge across the old moat to its entrance, restored in the 20th century and used for a time as a museum. It stands beside the al-Wardiyya cemetery, a short distance from the shrine of Umar al-Suhrawardi.