Samarra

Samarra

سَامَرَّاء
Samarra سَامَرَّاء
City
	The spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra Abu Dulaf Mosque Al-Askari Shrine Qasr al-'Ashiq Remains of the Dar al-Khilafa (caliph's palace) Circular pool area inside the Dar al-Khilafa
	Samarra Location of Samarra within Iraq
	Coordinates: 34°11′54″N 43°52′27″E / 34.19833°N 43.87417°E
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Saladin
Population (2003 est)
• Total	348,700
• Estimate (859)	204,868
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Samarra Archaeological City
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iii, iv
Reference	276
Inscription	2007 (31st Session)
Endangered	2007-
Area	15,058 ha (37,210 acres)
Buffer zone	31,414 ha (77,630 acres)

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Samarra (Arabic: سَامَرَّاء, Sāmarrāʾ) is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, 125 kilometers (78 mi) north of Baghdad. Due to the presence of Al-Askari Shrine, the city is considered a holy site in Shia Islam. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 CE by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and military base.

In 2003 the city had an estimated population of 348,700. During the Iraqi Civil War (2006–2008), Samarra was in the "Sunni Triangle" of resistance. The archeological site of Samarra still retains much of the historic city's original plan, architecture and artistic relics. In 2007, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site.