Object description

Abu Dulaf Mosque is a historic mosque located approximately 15 kilometres north of Samarra in the Saladin Governorate, Iraq. The mosque was commissioned by the 10th Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutawakkil in 859. The mosque is rectangular shaped, and consisted of the open air sahn surrounded by the corridors with the qibla corridor being the biggest of them. The mosque is among the largest mosques in the world measured by area size, reaching 46,800 square metres wide. The iconic spiral minaret which resembles the renowned Malwiya of the Great Mosque of Samarra is located at the northern side. The unique design of the minaret is said to be inspired by the similar structure in Firuzabad. While others believe the minaret's unique spiral design is derived from the architecture of the Mesopotamian ziggurats .