In the city of Samarra, Iraq, there is a historic mosque of the 9th century Abbasid Khilafah era of the caliph Al-Mutawakkil. The mosque is the Great Mosque of Samarra or better known as The Great Mosque of Samarra.
The uniqueness of the Great Mosque of Samarra lies in the shape of its spiral tower which reminds of the Tower of Babel (the Tower of Babel) in the time of the Babylonian Empire.
This spiral-shaped tower is called Malwiyya. Its height reaches 52 meters. The base of the tower is rectangular. While at the top of the tower there is a pavilion that functions as a place for the muezzin to echo the call to prayer. The entire wall in the room where the muezzin is made of wood material.
The building of the Great Mosque of Samarra is inside a fenced land measuring 374 meters by 443 meters. With an area of 239 meters by 156 meters, this mosque building is the largest ever in the history of mosques in the Islamic world.
To facilitate access to the location of the mosque, the Iraqi Government made three access roads covering 52 meters. The mosque has 16 entrances, with 17 aisles connected to the prayer hall and mosque porch.
The porch of the mosque is decorated with triple pillar pillars. During Friday prayers, part of the mosque's foyer is usually also used to accommodate pilgrims.
The design of the interior of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Samarra is decorated with marble which forms an octagonal pattern in the corners of the room. While the mihrab section, decorated with glass mosaics.
UNESCO has designated the Samarra Great Mosque in Iraq as one of the buildings listed in the world historic sites or World Heritage Sites.
But since the US invasion of 'State of 1001 Nights' some time ago, US forces and their coalition often bombed holy places in Iraq. One of the targets is the Samarra Mosque.
This mosque has been attacked at least twice, the last occurred on June 13, 2007. The first attack occurred in 2006, in the form of a bomb attack that destroyed the mosque's golden dome. This incident then triggered mutual action against attacks between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq.