This study is the only monograph to date on the historical development of the city of Baghdad in the mid-19th century. Using numerous European travel accounts and memoirs, as well as Ottoman source material, various topics related to the urban development of Baghdad are examined: geography, topography, administration, population, and architectural history. Special attention is given to the following question: To what extent did the administrative, military, and legal reform efforts of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century (Tanzimat) reach the remote provincial capital of Baghdad, and to what degree did recognizable developments emerge as a result of these reform efforts?.