Great Mosque of Samarra

The Great Mosque of Samarra is a 9th-century Abbasid congregational mosque in Samarra, Iraq, famed for its towering spiral minaret known as the Malwiya. It was constructed in the mid-800s under the Abbasid caliphate and was one of the largest mosques of its time.

The site is dominated by the conical spiral minaret with its external ramp that rises from a broad base to the summit; this feature is the main visual landmark. Surrounding the minaret are the extensive ruins of the mosque platform and prayer hall, visible as low walls, courtyards and foundation outlines.

The scale of the complex and the minaret’s unusual form make the site notable for students of early Islamic architecture and Abbasid urbanism. Much of the original decorative stone and brickwork survives only in fragments, so much of the visit is an interpretation of the ruined groundplan.

The mosque was built in the mid-9th century during the reign of Caliph al-Mutawakkil (reigned 847-861) as part of Samarra’s development as an Abbasid capital. Over subsequent centuries the complex fell into disuse and ruin, leaving the minaret and parts of the platform as the principal surviving elements.

The ruins sit on the east bank of the Tigris at Samarra in Iraq. Samarra lies on the plain north of Baghdad and the site is accessed from the modern town area adjacent to the archaeological zone.

• Viewing tip: The spiral minaret is the most visible element and is best viewed from outside the protected archaeological zone because much of the original mosque survives only as foundations and fragmentary walls.

What to See #

• Malwiya Minaret: A large spiral minaret known as the Malwiya with a distinctive conical spiral ramp that rises from the mosque platform and is the site's best-known surviving element.
• Mosque Ruins: The ruined mosque platform and hypostyle prayer hall remains forming a broad rectangular complex originally built as a congregational mosque in the 9th century.