Historical Geography. 1900. Iraq. Bagdad long ago lost the magnificence of architecture and ornament that made it famous in the days of Haroun Al Raschid. The town, as it now exists, lacks plan, and the unpaved, mostly narrow streets are flanked by uninviting houses of yellowish red brick taken from old ruins, with latticed windows on the firs floor, and, below, only mean doors to break the monotony of the walls.