Landmark 06 / 10
Bab al-Wastani
Engineering story
The gate as a defensive machine
Why it matters
A cylindrical tower of brick and gypsum rises over a pointed arch carried on two piers, with narrow arrow slits, a crenellated parapet for lookouts, an octagonal chamber under an inner dome, and an arched vault crossing the moat. Small lions carved in brick flank the entrance, among geometric, star and plant ornament. Baghdad’s eastern wall was begun under the caliph al-Mustazhir and restored under al-Nasir; the gate closed at sunset and opened at dawn. It is the last of the city’s gates still standing.
In the documentary series18. Abbasid PeriodBaghdad and Samarra, capitals of the world