AI generatedSamarra
Iraq · Saladin Governorate
Short description of Samarra
Samarra (سامراء) was briefly the Abbasid capital and left behind one of the largest archaeological cities in the Islamic world, listed by UNESCO. The Great Mosque was the biggest of its age, and its spiral minaret, the Malwiya, still rises in a ramp of sandy brick that can be climbed for the view. The Al-Askari Shrine with its golden dome is one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam and has been rebuilt after its destruction. Further out lie the Abu Dulaf Mosque with a second spiral minaret and the ruined palaces of the caliphs along the Tigris.
AI edited
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Recommended length of stay
Travel seasons at a glance
Best time to visit: March – April or October
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All highlights and sights
- Al-Askari Shrine
- Malwiya spiral minaret
- Great Mosque of Samarra
- Abu Dulaf Mosque
- Qasr al-Ashiq palace
- Caliph’s palace ruins along the Tigris
- Samarra archaeological city walls
- Shrine bazaar and pilgrim lanes
- Tigris riverbank below the old city
- Qubbat al-Sulaibiyya tomb
Ways to get there and away
- Airports nearby:
- BGW Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base (Baghdad) · 109 km south(recommended)
- KIK Kirkuk International Airport (Kirkuk) · 148 km north
- ISU Jalal Talabani International Airport (Sulaymaniyah) · 201 km northeast
- Train stations:
- Samarra
Map view
Distances
Nearest destinations
Main cities in Iraq
Straight line. With the car symbol: road distance and pure driving time, where already worked out. Population: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).