Document Type : Scientific-Research
Authors
1 PhD student, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Toponyms represent a cultural accumulation of linguistic richness within a language that has evolved over time, reflecting the reconstruction of identity, culture, beliefs, myths, customs, literature, geographical locations, and historical background of a society. This study aims to reexamine and reinterpret the toponym "Baghdad" from its emergence to being designated as "Madinat al-Salam" (City of Peace) by Caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur of the Abbasid dynasty."The outcome of this research, from an etymological perspective, reveals that the origin of the term "Baghdad" is Persian (Indo-Iranian language), documented from the early second millennium BCE to the Islamic period in various texts and sources written in, Old Persian, Middle Persian, Persian, and Arabic. With the invasion of Iran by the Arabs, during the Islamic era, the term "baγ" no longer conveys the meaning of God, but is solely associated with idols and statues. However, the significant aspect lies in the conceptual relationship between the ancient toponym Baghdad "Khudadad" and the name "Madinat al-Salam." The concealed concept within the term "Madinat al-Salam" is the Iranian City of Peace, as described by Arab Muslim historians and geographers. Baghdad has been referred to as Madinat al-Salam because peace is synonymous with "Allah," and their intention was "Madinat Allah" (City of God), signifying a place governed by divine mandates and regulatory principles.
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