Samarra

Samarra, on the east bank of the Tigris 130 km north of Baghdad, is the type site for the prehistoric Samarra culture (c. 5500-4800 BC), one of the earliest town-states in the Near East. The city became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate from 836 to 892 AD, stretching 32 km along the river. Its 9th-century Great Mosque and the iconic spiral minaret al-Malwiyyah remain among the most remarkable Islamic architectural monuments. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, Samarra has been on the List of World Heritage in Danger since inscription, with 80% of the site still unexcavated.