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Glaire Anderson, Senior Lecturer in Islamic Art , The University of Edinburgh

What the new Assassin's Creed game tells us about ninth-century Baghdad – from the art historian who worked on the game

Detail from a 15th century manuscript recounting the siege of Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258. Wikimedia

Gamers the world over will be familiar with the incredibly detailed historic cityscapes the Assassin’s Creed franchise has produced so far. Following earlier forays into ancient Damascus and Athens, the forthcoming instalment, Mirage, takes players into ninth-century Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid caliphate.

As an expert in Islamic architecture, art, and history, I worked with world design director Maxime Durand and Mirage historian Raphaël Weyland to bolster the game’s historical grounding, including the new educational feature, entitled The History of Baghdad. Gamers will be able to explore, in an interactive way, the economy, government, arts, beliefs and daily life of the time.

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