Islamic civilisation flourished as the number fo cities grew phenomenally.
1. Many new cities were founded, mainly to settle Arab soldiers (jund) who formed the backbone of the local administration. Among this class of garrison cities, called misr (the Arabic name for Egypt), were Kufa and Basra in Iraq, and Fustat and Cairo in Egypt. Within half a century of its establishment as the capital of the Abbasid caliphate (800), the population of Baghdad had reached around 1 million.
2. Alongside these cities were older towns such as Damascus, Isfahan and Samarquand, which received a new lease of life. Their size and population surged, supported by an expansion in the production of foodgrains and raw materials such as cotton and sugar for urban manufactures. A vast urban network developed, linking one town with another and forming a circuit.
3. At the heart of the city were building complexes radiating cultural and economic power: the congregational mosque (masjid al-jami) big enough to be seen from a distance, and the central marketplace (suq), with shops in a row, merchants’ lodgings and the office of the money-changer.
The cities were homes to administrators (ayan or eyes of the state), and scholars and merchants (tujjar) who lived close to the centre.
4. Ordinary citizens and soldiers had their living quarters in the outer circle, each fitted with its own mosque, church or synagogue (Jewish temple), subsidiary market and public bath (hammam), an important meeting place.
At the outskirts were the houses of the urban poor, a market for green vegetables and fruits brought from the countryside, caravan stations and ‘unclean’ shops, such as those dealing in tanning or butchering.
5. Beyond the city walls were inns for people to rest when the city gates were shut and cemeteries. There were variations on this typology depending on the nature of the landscape, political traditions and historical events.
