Samarra Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
city in Iraq
About Samarra
The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times and has given name to the Late NeolithicSamarra culture, which existed roughly between 5500 and 4800 BCE. The city ofSur-marratiwas founded in 690 BC on the opposite bank of the Tigris. Since then the city has been destroyed and rebuilt several times and slightly different locations along the Tigris river. Samarra in its current iteration was founded in 836 CE by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu'tasim. He and his successors built lavish palace complexes; such as al-Mutawakkiliyya, the Great Mosque of Samarra with its famous spiral minaret and the large palace Bulkuwara. Samarra remained the residence of the caliph until 892, when it returned toBaghdad. The city then declined and was largely abandoned starting in 940 CE. During the next millenni
Top Attractions in Samarra
Explore the best things to see and do in Samarra:
- ★Abu Dulaf Mosque
- ★Al-Askari Shrine
- ★Al-Barakah Palace
- ★Belquara Palace
- ★Great Mosque of Samarra
- ★Qasr al-'Ashiq
Samarra Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 13 sections including: