 The costs of campaigning for both sides, including paying for soldiers' and officers' salaries and other wartime expenses, was enormous.The cutting of the canals around al-Anbar contributed to a long term economic decline in the region, and the numerous acts of plunder and forcing people from their fields disrupted the productivity of the empire's richest province, putting additional financial strain on the state.Baghdad was devastated, with the eastern side of the city never fully recovering from the damage it incurred during the war.