I visited this WHS in September 2024. Samarra lies on the east bank of the Tigris river and it was founded in 836 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mutasim as a new administrative capital and military base. Since the WHS is made up of 10 loosely named locations, it was hard to tell whether I covered all or most of them during a full day exploring Samarra and its surroundings. During the Iraqi Civil War (2006-2008), Samarra was in the "Sunni Triangle" of resistance and even now, the military personnel at checkpoints wear different uniforms and fly different "religious/political" flags.

Ever since the end of Iraqi civil war in 2007, the Shia population of the holy city has increased exponentially and acts of violence and terror are quite common in the area. The city is also home to the al-Askari Shrine, containing the mausolea of the 10th and 11th Shia Imams, as well as the place from where Muhammad al-Mahdi, known as the "Hidden Imam". is believed by the Twelver Shias to have entered a state of occultation. This has made it an important pilgrimage centre for the Imami Shias. For non-Muslims, the mosques of Najaf and Karbala are for more interesting both for their interior as well as their exterior architecture.

The obvious highlights are its two spiral minarets and what remains of their mosques. At the time of its construction, the Great Mosque of Samarra was the world's largest mosque. Its spiral minaret, known as Malwiya (meaning "leaning"), is 52 metres high with 6 levels of a spiralling staired ramps, and although an iron railing has been installed, climbing is no longer allowed and the whole site is out of bounds due to ongoing restoration works. Originally this spiral minaret was connected to the mosque by a bridge. Depending on your fixer/agency, the guard on duty will let you in and somewhat closer to the spiral minaret for a short while, otherwise all other local or foreign visitors will want the same treatment. I kept my eyes peeled for any possible UNESCO WHS plaque but all I could find was a makeshift painted sign in Arabic claiming it's a WHS with a poorly painted UNESCO logo.

The other spiral minaret and its mosque, known as Abu Dulaf, lie in a less urban and a more pleasant desert environment. It is completely unguarded, with no protective fence or lights for night time, so much so that it was one of the only places in Iraq where I saw a few small vandalistic graffiti. The spiral minaret is 32 metres high with 4 levels of spiralling staired ramps, and although no railing has been installed and the spiral stepped ramp is much narrower, climbing it is still possible. At first, I limited myself to exploring the huge remaining rectangular perimiter of the mosque and its several arches. Then, I plucked up some courage convincing myself that it was literally a "now or never" moment, and climbed to the top to take in the view. Being quite windy when I visited, and since being tall with a large shoe size does not help in such circumstances, I simply hugged the spiral minaret all the way up and down. The view from the top is absolutely worth it but I only made it because I was alone all the way up and down. During times of conflict, this minaret apparently was used by snipers, which is why a drone attack is said to have blasted its pinnacle. 

The city of Samarra was further developed under Caliph al-Mutawakkil, who sponsored the construction of lavish palace complexes, such as that of al-Mutawakkiliyya. Unfortunately, only a few mud brick walls and foundations remain of such palace complexes and sometimes it was very hard to tell which were the remains of palace complexes and which were the remains of Abbasid walls. Then, closer to the Malwiya minaret, there are fully-blown or partial reconstruction attempts from Saddam Hussein's time till nowadays, such as for example the reconstructed circular pool surrounded by reception halls of Dar al-Khilafa, also known as the Abbasid Pool Palace, built by Al-Mutasim. The tall white-washed corridors adorned by fully reconstructed (new) geometric and floral stucco reliefs hint at how these palaces once resembled the better preserved ones found in Baghdad. Another reconstructed fortress-like palace close to the Malwiya minaret and mosque, found on the western bank of the Tigris river, is that of Qasr al-'Ashiq. The rectangular building consists of two floors, one of them used as catacombs and vaults. It is surrounded by large yards, which in turn are surrounded by walls. From the outside, this reconstructed fortress-like Abbasid palace is like a much smaller and paler version of the Al-Ukhaidir Fortress, listed as a separate tentative WHS.

All in all, I really enjoyed all Samarra had to offer and although the main not-to-be-missed components are the spiral minarets and what remains of their mosques, the other components/locations complement this Abbasid WHS. Unfortunately information boards are non-existant in Samarra but if you read up before and after your visit, you'll clearly understand the OUV of this WHS.