Baghdad appears as the starting point of the Appointment in Samarra anecdote retold by W. Somerset Maugham. Its busy market is where a servant encounters Death, setting in motion a story about the apparent escape from—and possible enactment of—fate.

The Market Encounter

The servant is in Baghdad on an errand when he meets Death in the market. Terrified, he returns to his master and asks for a horse so he can ride to Samarra, where he hopes Death will not find him that evening. The master grants his request, then goes to the market himself to confront Death about frightening his servant.

Role in the Anecdote

Baghdad gives the story its point of departure: the servant’s attempt to escape begins with an encounter there, while Death’s reply places their appointment in Samarra. The city thus anchors the first turn in an argument about fate, in which the effort to flee may itself help realize what it seeks to avoid.