Baghdad, Babylon and Sumer
Brief Summary:
This city and the surrounding areas, including ruins of the old Babylon [(where the Western World has its Origins, another location being Egypt (and the Levant)], has a Magnificent History.
For Centuries it was The Heartbeat of (some of) the first Great Powers, then, later, it was the Capital of the Caliphate, where knowledge about all sorts of subjects dwelled, in The House of Wisdom, THE “Center of Learning” (centuries before, it used to be The Great Library of Alexandria), the place which housed the largest section of books in the world.
For Centuries, Baghdad was truly The Heart of The Civilized World (only rivaled by a few cities throughout the World, including Constantinople), being an unrivaled center of education, medicine, commerce, philosophy and science.
(Edit) Searching for articles on the influence of Babylon on the Western Civilization I found a simple introduction here:
(to be continued, maybe)