Great Mosque of Samarra, Samarra

The Great Mosque of Samarra, an emblematic structure within the ancient city of Samarra, Iraq, stands as a testament to the architectural and cultural grandeur of the Islamic Golden Age. Constructed in the 9th century under the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutawakkil, this mosque is renowned for its distinctive spiral minaret, the Malwiya Tower, which soars approximately 52 meters into the sky.

Visitors to the Great Mosque can explore the site's expansive grounds, which originally covered an area of 17 hectares, making it one of the largest mosques in the world at the time of its completion. Although much of the mosque's intricate brickwork and ornate decorations have succumbed to time and historical conflicts, the remnants still offer a glimpse into the grandiosity of its past.

The Malwiya Tower, with its unique helical design, served both as a visual landmark and a practical call to prayer for the faithful. While climbing the tower is no longer permitted due to preservation efforts, tourists can still marvel at its scale and design from the base.