Abu Dulaf Mosque

The Abu Dulaf Mosque (Arabic: جامع أبو دلف) is an ancient historic Sunni mosque, located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Samarra, in the Saladin Governorate of Iraq. The mosque was commissioned by the 10th Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutawakkil in 859 CE. The archeological mosque, along with the Great Mosque of Samarra, represent a unique example of the planning, capacity, construction, and artistic in Islamic architecture and mosques in the Abbasid Caliphate, considered one of the finest. Their large dimensions and unique spiral minarets, these mosques demonstrate the pride and political and religious strength that correspond with the strength and power of the caliphate at that time. Even after the abandonment of the mosque by the Caliphate, the mosque remained partially preserved with some damages caused mainly by ploughing and cultivation. The mosque is located within the 15,058-hectare (37,210-acre) Samarra Archaeological City UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 2007.