Picture dated 19 April 2003 shows Samarr

SAMARRA, IRAQ: Picture dated 19 April 2003 shows Samarra's historic mosque taken from the Spiral Minaret at the remains of the ancient city, along the eastern bank of the Tigris river between Baghdad and Tikrit. About 74 years after the foundation of Baghdad, the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim moved his capital north, to the newly built city of samarra, in A.D. 836. It reached its height under the rule of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil (A.D. 847-861). The minaret or 'malwiya' is 19 meters high. AFP PHOTO/PHILIPPE DESMAZES (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP via Getty Images)