In theory Samarra could be a very interesting site. This is the only islamic site of Iraq, so its imporatance in Iraqi culture in unquestionable. . Samarra was the capital of the Abbasid caliphate from 836 CE, when Caliph Al-Mu'tasim founded a new capital at the banks of the Tigris, till 892, when al-Mu'tadid returned the capital to Baghdad. The period between these dates was one of the most dramatic, turbulent  half century in the history of the caliphate. Majestic buildings were erected and events that are crucial in the formation modern Iraq (and the Shi'ite world) happened here. (The death of the 12th and the occultation of the 13th imam.) On the other hand Samarra is not far from Baghdad, an easy day trip on the northern motorway. This is the theory.

The reality is, that Samarra is even now not the most welcoming city in Iraq. The population is predominantly Sunni, but the law enforcement is provided by a Sadrist Shi'ite militia (Saraya al-Salam - their emblem, the peace dove is ubiquitous on grafitties in the city). There are no such restrictions now, that Wojciech described, tourists can enter the area after identity check, without leaving the passports with the militiamen,  but - unlike in Baghdad or other major cities - you can still feel the tension in the air. The most illustrious - and best kept up - building in the city, the al-Askeri moque is not part of the World Heritage Site - understandably by the way, it's heavily reconstructed, and constantly embellished as the other main mosques of Iraq, Tourists are allowed to enter the mosque - after a lot of differenc security checks. The WH area is the former capital - what remained of it.

Most of the components however are not accessible. The most important, and most photographed of these remains is the Great Mosque - not to be confused with the al-Askeri mosque.  At the time of construction, it was the world's largest mosque. It is known for its 52 metres high minaret encircled by a spiral ramp. It's in the outskirts of the city, in a relatively rundown neighbourhood. I really do not know whether it's officially open or not. The big iron door was closed, but our guide could make the guards open it. They collected the official 25 000 IQD entrance fees, but we did not get tickets. The souvenir stall however  - where you can buy the miniature replicas of the minaret - hints that sometimes people show up there to visit the site, however when we were there we were alone. Even one or two years ago it was possible to climb the minaret, and make pictures from above. Now it's forbidden, and the minaret is fenced off, as it is visible on the picture above. As the mosque itself is nothing more than  the wqalls and smoe colummn bases,  the whole visit can't last more than 15-20 minutes.