In the Near East, people took the step towards civilization: from hunter-gatherers to farmers and livestock breeders. In Mesopotamia, the wheel and writing were invented, and city-states evolved into central and world empires. Babylon, with its tower and the hanging gardens – one of the wonders of the ancient world – was the first world. In the seventh century AD, Mesopotamia came under Muslim rule; significant figures made it the political and spiritual center of the Islamic world at that time. The Mongol invasion in 1258 permanently destroyed the entire infrastructure of the country, a catastrophe that would repeat itself several times. In 1958, following a revolt against the royal family installed under British mandate, a series of military dictatorships began, which came to an end with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. But instead of the one envisioned by the Americans.