Claim: Iraq is a country in Western Asia

Baghdad -LRB- بغداد , -LSB- AUDBaghdad.oggbagh ` daad -RSB- -RRB- is the capital of the Republic of Iraq . The population of Baghdad , , is approximately 8,765,000 , making it the largest city in Iraq , the second largest city in the Arab world -LRB- after Cairo , Egypt -RRB- , and the second largest city in Western Asia -LRB- after Tehran , Iran -RRB- .   Located along the Tigris River , the city was founded in the 8th century and became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate . Within a short time of its inception , Baghdad evolved into a significant cultural , commercial , and intellectual center for the Islamic world . This , in addition to housing several key academic institutions -LRB- e.g. , House of Wisdom -RRB- , garnered the city a worldwide reputation as the `` Centre of Learning '' .   Throughout the High Middle Ages , Baghdad was considered to be the largest city in the world with an estimated population of 1,200,000 -- 3,000,000 people . The city was largely destroyed at the hands of the Mongol Empire in 1258 , resulting in a decline that would linger through many centuries due to frequent plagues and multiple successive empires . With the recognition of Iraq as an independent state -LRB- formerly the British Mandate of Mesopotamia -RRB- in 1938 , Baghdad gradually regained some of its former prominence as a significant center of Arab culture .   In contemporary times , the city has often faced severe infrastructural damage , most recently due to the 2003 invasion of Iraq , and the subsequent Iraq War that lasted until December 2011 . In recent years , the city has been frequently subjected to insurgency attacks . , Baghdad was listed as one of the least hospitable places in the world to live , and was ranked by Mercer as the worst of 221 major cities as measured by quality-of-life .