Final answer:
Baghdad became the center of Islam after the Abbasid Empire's rise. It was strategically founded by caliph Al-Mansur in 762 CE and became the hub of the 'Islamic Golden Age,' a city surpassing others in trade, culture, and learning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The city that became the center of Islam after the introduction of the Abbasid Empire was Baghdad. This shift happened when the Abbasids moved the capital from Damascus to Kufa in Iraq, and then in 762 CE, the caliph Al-Mansur founded Baghdad, also known as Madinat al-Salam or the City of Peace. The founding of Baghdad signified a strategic move; it was a planned city constructed to harness the wealth, culture, and trade accumulated by the Islamic state. This new capital was situated on the Tigris River's fertile banks in Mesopotamia, a region with a rich history of early human civilizations. As the period of the 'Islamic Golden Age' unfolded under Abbasid rule, Baghdad came to epitomize a flourishing center for trade, culture, and learning, overtaking other historical Mediterranean cities in prominence. Having the capital in Baghdad also reflected the political and economic reorientation of the Islamic world towards the East, benefiting from the support of the former Persian Empire's inhabitants and the influence of Persian culture. The dynastic transformation and the establishment of Baghdad had far-reaching implications, not only in making it the new center of the Islamic world but also contributing to the eventual establishment of rival caliphates in places such as Cairo and Cordoba.