Iraq

Samarra

WHS Score 3.02
rate
Votes 20 Average 3.48
Show votes
Votes for Samarra

1.5

  • Szucs Tamas

2.0

  • Cobaltrage
  • Zoë Sheng

3.0

  • Afshin Iranpour
  • Harry Mitsidis
  • Philipp Leu
  • Sascha Grabow
  • Wojciech Fedoruk

3.5

  • Alexander Barabanov
  • Alexander Lehmann
  • Clyde
  • Els Slots

4.0

  • ALKAREEMNASSER
  • Christravelblog
  • Hanming
  • Loic Pedras

4.5

  • michaelsballard
  • Rvieira

5.0

  • Rahelka
  • SHIHE HUANG

Samarra Archaeological City comprises the remains of a vast and monumental capital of the Abbasid Empire.

The site, although mostly unexcavated, has retained its original city plan. Architectural and artistic innovations developed here spread to other regions of the Islamic world, such as carved stucco and a new type of ceramic. Among its most notable monuments is the 9th-century Great Mosque, featuring a Spiral Minaret.

Community Perspective: the first review was from a visit in 1975, and the second was from one in 2021. Samarra has been virtually inaccessible for many years, but it has come out of the war relatively unscathed. Climbing the spiral staircase is out of the question nowadays, according to Tamas, who visited in 2023. In 2025, Els managed to visit several of the other locations, of which the Abu Dalaf mosque ruins are recommended.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Samarra Archaeological City (ID: 276)
Country
Iraq
Status
Inscribed 2007 Site history
History of Samarra
2007: In Danger
Needs preventive measures and conservation
2007: Inscribed
Inscribed
1983: Deferred
Deferred until receipt of necessary info
In Danger
Needs preventive measures and conservation Since 2007
Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • ii
  • iii
  • iv
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
Related
  • archnet.org — Jami' al-Mutawakkil in the Digital Library of ArchNet
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
  • archnet.org — Jami' al-Mutawakkil in the Digital Library of ArchNet
News Article
  • 19 Feb 2018 al-monitor.com — Will Great Mosque of Samarra and its minaret survive?
  • 10 Jun 2016 nrttv.com — Students start graffiti clean up of Samarra's spiral minaret
  • 31 Jul 2015 telegraph.co.uk — £500,000 project to save 1,200-year-old mosque threatened by Islamic State
  • 21 Nov 2007 artinfo.com — The construction of a training center and barracks for police is threatening the Great Mosque of Samarra.

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: Near Eastern
Travel Information
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Red Zone Travel Advisory

All of Iraq except Kurdistan

Recent Connections
View all (25) .
Connections of Samarra
Individual People
Geography
Trivia
  • Modelled after
    The Terbal of Firuzabad (Sassanid landscape WHS) is thought to have been the architectural predecessor of the Great Mosque of Samarra of Iraq and its distinctive minaret, the malwiya.
  • In Video Games
    Age of Empires II: Saracens: Great Mosque of Samarra
  • On Banknotes
    Samarra; 250 Dinars; 2003

    See cdn.safedinar.com

History
Architecture
  • Octagons
    Husn al-Qadisiyya (unfinished city of octagonal shape), Qubbat al-Sulaybiyya (an octagonal building in the middle of which there is a square hall surrounded by an octagonal ambulatory)
  • Brick architecture
    The Great Mosque and its spiral minaret were built of fired brick and gypsum mortar (AB ev)
  • Earth Architecture
    "The main building materials are fired brick, mud-brick and adobe" (AB ev)
Damaged
  • Damaged in War since WWII
    2nd Iraq War "One of the architectural jewels in Samarra is the 52-metre spiral minaret which is part of the Great Mosque of Caliph al-Mutawakkil, built in the ninth century. The minaret, which features on an Iraqi banknote, survived countless invasions and wars, but was badly damaged by insurgent fire in 2005 when American soldiers used it as a lookout post."

    See www.theguardian.com

World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • Notable mosques
    Great Mosque - was the largest mosque in the Islamic World when it was built between 849 and 852, its Spiral Minaret is the most unusual in the Islamic world & the somewhat smaller look-a-like Abu Dulaf Mosque from the same period (both Sunni)
Human Activity
  • Hunting Lodge or Castle
    "The new al-Malwiya Mosque, built between 849 and 851, formed part of an extension of the city to the east, extending into the old hunting park. Two new palaces with hunting parks were built in the south, at al-Istablât and al-Musharrahat (the Palace of al-Shah)." (AB ev)
  • Locations for playing sport
    "Three racecourses were built east of the main city. Two have an out-and-back course 80m wide and 10.42km long with a spectators' pavilion at the start and the third a pattern of four circles around a central pavilion (5.3km)." and "Tell Al-Alij is an artificial mound for the caliph to view the horse-races" (Nom File)
Constructions
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Built in the 9th century
    Samarra was laid out as a new city in 836 by the Abassid Caliph al-Mu'tasim who wished to create a new court residence and army base outside Baghdad. He died in 847 with the city's mosques and palaces only partly completed but his successor continued with new plans. By 892 a subsequent Caliph returned the capital to Baghdad an, although habitation continued on the site much of the monumental area was abandoned.
Science and Technology
Visiting conditions
Literature & Film
News
al-monitor.com 19/02/2018
Will Great Mosque of Samarra and i…
nrttv.com 10/06/2016
Students start graffiti clean up o…
telegraph.co.uk 31/07/2015
£500,000 project to save 1,200-yea…

Community Reviews