Samarra

Travel Guide > Middle East > Iraq > Samarra

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Introduction

Samarra Archaeological City was an Islamic capital city that ruled over the provinces of the Abbasid Empire extending from Tunisia to Central Asia for a century. Samarra is located on both sides of the Tigris River in the central north of the country and is made out of an area over 40 kilometers long and about 5 or 6 kilometers wide. Architecture and art both developed here and were spread to the other regions of the Islamic world. The Great Mosque dating back to the 9th century and its spiral minaret is one of the most impressive architectural monuments of the site but there is still much (almost 80%) to be discovered and excavated. Samarra Archaeological City is placed on the Unesco World Heritage List.