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The Great Mosque of Samarra (جَامِع سَامَرَّاء ٱلْكَبِيْر, مَسْجِد سَامَرَّاء ٱلْكَبِيْر, or ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلْجَامِع فِي سَامَرَّاء) is a mosque from the 9th century CE located in Samarra, Iraq. The mosque was commissioned in 848 and completed in 851 by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil who reigned (in Samarra) from 847 until 861. The mosque is located within the 15058 ha Samarra Archaeological City UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 2007.

History
The Great Mosque of Samarra was, for a time, the largest mosque in the world; 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 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. In a list of his building projects which appears in several different versions, the new Congregational Mosque and up to twenty palaces are mentioned, totalling between 258 and 294 million dirhams. The new Congregational Mosque, with its spiral minaret, built between 849 (235 AH) and 851 (235 AH), formed part of an extension of the city to the east, extending into the old hunting park.

The mosque itself was destroyed in 1278 (656 AH) after Hulagu Khan's invasion of Iraq. Only the outer wall and its minaret remain.

Former mosque
The mosque had 17 aisles, and its walls were paneled with mosaics of dark blue glass. It was part of an extension of Samarra eastwards. The art and architecture of the mosque were influential; stucco carvings within the mosque in floral and geometric designs represent early Islamic decoration. Additionally, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, Egypt, was based on the Samarra Mosque in many regards. Both of the mosques have many similarities as they both are built in a big open space.

Minaret
Al-Minārat Al-Malwiyyah (ٱلْمِنَارَة ٱلْمَلْوِيَّة, "The Twisted Minaret" or "The Snail Shell Minaret") was originally connected to the mosque by a bridge. The minaret or tower was constructed in 848–852 of sandstone, and is unique among other minarets because of its ascending spiral conical design. Being 52 m high and 33 m wide at the base, the spiral contains stairs reaching to the top.

The height of the Malwiya made it practical to be used for the call to prayer. It is visible from a considerable distance in the area around Samarra and therefore may have been designed as a strong visual statement of the presence of Islam in the Tigris Valley.

The minaret's unique spiral design is said by some to be derived from the architecture of the Mesopotamian ziggurats. Some consider the influence of the Pillar of Gor, built in Sassanian period, more prominent.

In 2005 the top of the Malwiya minaret underwent a huge bombing. The famous minaret was partially destroyed by insurgents. Nearly 1000 years after it had been built it finally began to crumble because of today's weapons Many different stories and theories exist as why to the minaret was bombed. Some people do state that it was to directly attack the United States forces while others say that it was to cause internal chaos within the country. Since this did happen it has shortened the lifespan of the minaret than the initial lifespan that was predicted when it was first built.

structures
The minaret's spiral shape inspired Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Philip Johnson's design for the 1976 Chapel of Thanksgiving at Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas, Texas, the USA. The minarets of a prominent UAE mosque, that of Sheikh Khalifa in Al Ain City, have been also been inspired by this minaret.