The Great Mosque of Samarra was, for a time, the largest mosque in the world; its minaret, the Malwiya Tower, is a spiralling cone high and wide with a spiral ramp. The reign of al-Mutawakkil had a great effect on the appearance of the city, for he seemed to have been a lover of architecture, and the one responsible for building the great Mosque of Samarra. In a list of his building projects which appears in several different versions, the new Congregational Mosque and up to twenty palaces are mentioned, totalling between 258 and 294 million dirhams. The new Congregational Mosque, with its spiral minaret, built between 849 and 851, formed part of an extension of the city to the east, extending into the old hunting park. The mosque itself was destroyed in 1278 after Hulagu Khan's invasion of Iraq. Only the outer wall and its minaret remain.
Former mosque
The mosque had 17 aisles, and its walls were paneled with mosaics of dark blue glass. It was part of an extension of Samarra eastwards. The art and architecture of the mosque were influential; stucco carvings within the mosque in floral and geometric designs represent early Islamic decoration. The Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, Egypt, was based on the Samarra Mosque in many regards and similarly stands in a large open space.
Minaret
Al-Minārat al-Malwiyyah was originally connected to the mosque by a bridge. The minaret or tower was constructed in 848–852 of sandstone, and is unique among other minarets because of its ascending spiral conical design. high and wide at the base, the spiral contains stairs reaching to the top. The height of the Malwiyyah made it practical to be used for the adhan. It is visible from a considerable distance in the area around Samarra and therefore may have been designed as a strong visual statement of the presence of Islam in the Tigris Valley. The minaret's unique spiral design is said by some to be derived from the architecture of the Mesopotamian ziggurats. Some consider the influence of the Pillar of Gor, built in the Sasanian Empire, more prominent. In 2005 the top of the Malwiya minaret was bombed. The famous minaret was partially destroyed by insurgents. Nearly 1000 years after it had been built it finally began to crumble because of today's weapons. Many different stories and theories exist as why to the minaret was bombed. Some people state that it was to directly attack the United States forces while others say that it was to cause internal chaos within the country. Since this happened it has shortened the lifespan of the minaret.
