this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
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Explanation: Baghdad was a center of science and culture during the Islamic Golden Age, and a repository for many texts in its libraries and universities.
In the process of being captured by the Mongols, large numbers of people were killed, much of the material was burned or otherwise ruined, and vast amounts of vital infrastructure was destroyed.
It, uh, arguably never fully recovered.
out: being mad about the Library of Alexandria
in: being mad about the Mongol destruction of Baghdad
Honestly, as much as I crave those classical texts, the destruction of Baghdad had much further-reaching effects (especially economic, but certainly including greater loss of potential learning/extant texts) than any, or all, of Alexandria's fires. Baghdad wasn't built in a day, but it was sacked in one.
... metaphorically speaking, since I'm pretty sure the sack was a literal multi-day affair.