Bab al-Talsim

During the late Abbasid Era, the 28th Caliph, al-Mustazhir (r. 1094–1118 CE), built a new wall around the eastern side of Baghdad to protect it from invading armies and Bedouin raids. Along with the wall came several gates, one of which was the Bab al-Talsim, then known as Bab al-Halba. Which would be fully completed by Caliph al-Mustarshid (r. 1118–1135 CE) in 1123. Over time, several Abbasid Caliphs would repair the walls of Eastern Baghdad. In 1221, Caliph al-Nasir restored the gates and walls of Baghdad and decorated Bab al-Halba with an inscription and a tower.^[1][2]

Al-Nasir's inscription on the gate depicts two knotted serpents or dragons who are being held by a seated figure who is believed to be the Caliph himself. The inscription became known for being talismanic among the people of Baghdad as it was believed to give protection against Baghdad's enemies. Due to this, the gate later gained its more well-known name of Bab al-Talsim.^[3][4] Due to the fact that the gate was located next to the Hadhrat al-Qadiriyya, the gate was also nicknamed "Bab al-Sheikh Abd al-Qadir" but was shortened to Bab al-Sheikh, which became the name of the neighborhood surrounding the Qadiriyya.^[5][6]

Before al-Nasir's restoration, the gate was already described by the Andalusian traveler Ibn Jubayr in 1185. It was mentioned in the accounts of the Mongols' 1258 Siege of Baghdad. A polo field in front of the gate was inaugurated in 1086 by Seljuk Sultan Malik Shah.^[7] Bab al-Wastani is located north of where Bab al-Talsim once stood.^[8] When Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered a map to be made of Baghdad in 1534, Bab al-Talsim wasn't included despite the details of the map.^[4] In 1638, Ottoman Sultan Murad IV conquered Baghdad, he entered through the gate and had it sailed and closed off.^[9] During the late parts of World War I, the Ottoman Empire was losing the war. To prevent the British Empire from storing gunpowder inside the gate, Ottoman troops destroyed the gate on 11 March 1917 while withdrawing from Baghdad, leaving no surviving remnants of the Abbasid gate today.^[4][10]

In 1982, work was underway to pave a new road in Bab al-Sheikh when the old foundations of Bab al-Talsim were discovered. The Iraqi Department of Antiquities quickly carried out excavations at the site and uncovered the remaining remains of the gate. After several researchers studied the area through historical sources, it was confirmed to be the old site of the gate.^[5]