The history of Samarra dates back to the fifth millennium BC, although its importance and splendor are linked to the Abbasid caliphate during the second half of the ninth century for having made it its capital to the detriment of Baghdad, a fact that lasted about 30 years.

In that period the city had a strong architectural development, with luxurious palace complexes and extensive gardens, as well as its most iconic image; the Great Mosque of Samarra with its famous spiral minaret, known as Malwiya.

With the return of the capital to Baghdad, Samarra gradually lost its political importance, although it remained an important commercial center. From the following century it became an important place of pilgrimage due to the erection of the Sanctuary of Al-Askari, a mausoleum where the remains of three very important imams for the Shiite current of Islam rested.

This important sanctuary, which was the victim of two bomb attacks in 2006 and 2007 in the framework of the Iraqi Civil War, has a beautiful golden dome from the early twentieth century that dominates the city skyline, and is now fully restored and open to the public.

The city was suffering a demographic and commercial decline over the following centuries, which together with various Mongol and Ottoman attacks in the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries respectively would contribute to its partial abandonment and oblivion until the first decade of the twentieth century, when archaeological excavations of its historic center were conducted in the period prior to the First World War.

The sites of the historic city of Samarra have been investigated throughout the 20th century, and it is believed that 80% of them remain unexcavated to this day. Since 2007, the remains of the historic city of Samarra have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The most significant construction and one of the most impressive remains still standing is the minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra, built around 850 AD, becoming for a time the largest mosque in the world. In addition to its characteristic tower, 52 meters high, the remains of this impressive mosque consist of a large rectangular area 240 meters long and 156 meters wide surrounded by a wall supported by 44 semicircular pillars facing outward. Inside is a mesh of columns that once supported the roof of the huge structure.

Along with a large number of remains formed by bases of buildings, palaces and houses that make up the urban fabric of the historic city, other sites of great archaeological and architectural interest are the remains of the Dār al-Khilāfa palace, such as the so-called Great Serdab or Birka Handasiyya, a sunken room around a large circular pond existing inside the palace.

Although most of Samarra's ancient urban fabric was located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, buildings of great significance were also discovered on the western bank. For example, Al-Istablat; a large walled structure located south of Samarra, consisting of a large palace and a residential area. Another significant building of which remains are preserved, which were also restored in the late twentieth century is the so-called Qasr al-Ashiq, of which it is possible to appreciate its intricate architecture. Another remarkable construction is the Qubbat al-Sulaybiyya, the oldest surviving Islamic vaulted mausoleum, dating from the ninth century.

Samarra is, in short, a historic and culturally rich city in central Iraq that offers a unique experience, despite the security concerns that have existed in the region in recent years. However, the Iraqi government's constant efforts to normalize the situation have contributed to the gradual opening of the country to tourism, boosting visits to its enormous historical and cultural heritage.

Welcome to Iraq!