Abbasid Palace

The Abbasid Palace in Baghdad is a medieval brick structure near the Tigris, one of the few surviving buildings from the era when the city was a centre of the Islamic world. Arranged around a two-storey courtyard, its arcades are decorated with intricate muqarnas vaulting and carved brickwork that display the craftsmanship of the period. Scholars debate whether it served as a palace or a madrasa, but its architecture remains a rare window onto the Abbasid capital. Visitors can walk the galleries and study the honeycombed niches.