According to Arab tradition, the town of Baghdad was founded in the middle of the eighth century by the Abbassid caliph Al-Mansur. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, the fact that a Babylonian city named Bagdad is already mentioned in the Talmud (Ketubot 7b, Zebahim 9a) suggests that the Caliph Mansur only rebuilt and enlarged the old Persian City of Baghdad. That Baghdad was originally a Persian city is indicated by the name, which thought to be of Persian origin. Situated on the left bank of the Tigris, the town was in close proximity to the two centers of Jewish spiritual life, Sura and Pumbedita. As the Caliph was anxious to see the population of his new residence increase, he offered no resistance to Jews settling there and forming a community. They became so numerous that one of t