Religious Building · Samarra, Iraq
Great Mosque of Samarra
The Great Mosque of Samarra or Al-Malwiya Mosque is a former congregational mosque, now in partial ruins, in Samarra, in the Saladin Governorate of Iraq. Built 848–851.
Photo: Fakhri Mahmood via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Samarra, Iraq |
|---|---|
| Type | Religious Building |
| Built | 848–851 |
| Length | Length: 239 m |
| Coordinates | 34.2062° N, 43.8798° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Great Mosque of Samarra is known for
The Great Mosque of Samarra or Al-Malwiya Mosque is a former congregational mosque, now in partial ruins, in Samarra, in the Saladin Governorate of Iraq.
About Great Mosque of Samarra
The Great Mosque of Samarra or Al-Malwiya Mosque is a former congregational mosque, now in partial ruins, in Samarra, in the Saladin Governorate of Iraq. The mosque was commissioned in 848 CE and completed in 851 by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil. At the time of construction it was the world's largest mosque. It is known for its 52-metre-high (171 ft) minaret encircled by a spiral ramp.
History
For a time, the mosque was the largest in the world covering a total area of 165,886 m2, with capacity for more than 60,000 worshippers; its minaret, the Malwiya Tower, is a spiralling cone 52 m high and 33 m wide with a spiral ramp. The reign of Al-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861) 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. Al-Mutawakkil and his hired workers as well as other people from the area constructed this mosque using baked brick octagon piers that included four marble columns in the corners. The marble columns were imported, which draws on the fact that Al-Mutawakkil hired artists and architects from all over the Abbasid empire to help him construct the Great Mosque.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Samarra |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Baghdad International Airport (SDA) |
| Distance from the airport | 67.9 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base (BGW) · Baghdad, Iraq · 68.3 miles away
- Kirkuk International Airport (KIK) · Kirkuk, Iraq · 91.2 miles away
- Erbil International Airport (EBL) · Arbil, Iraq · 140.3 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Iraq
More religious buildings
Frequently asked questions
What is Great Mosque of Samarra?
The Great Mosque of Samarra or Al-Malwiya Mosque is a former congregational mosque, now in partial ruins, in Samarra, in the Saladin Governorate of Iraq.
Where is Great Mosque of Samarra located?
Great Mosque of Samarra is in Samarra, Iraq. Its coordinates are 34.2062° N, 43.8798° E.
How do I get to Great Mosque of Samarra?
The nearest town is Samarra, and the nearest airport is Baghdad International Airport (SDA), about 67.9 miles away (straight line).
When was Great Mosque of Samarra built?
Great Mosque of Samarra was built 848–851.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mosque_of_Samarra — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q593115 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.