The Great Mosque in Samarra is on the verge of extinction. Great mosque in samarra

Samarra is a city in the central part of Iraq, 120 km northwest of Baghdad, lying on the eastern bank of the river. Tiger.

Founded in 836 by Caliph al-Mu'tasim of the Abbasid dynasty (son of the legendary Harun ar-Rashid); he, according to legend, also owns the authorship of the name (from the Arabic surra man ra’a, “whoever sees, rejoices”). In fact, settlements on the site of S. existed long before the official founding of the city. One of them, Surmarrati, mentioned in the inscription on the stele of Sennacherib (690 BC), apparently, was located in the area of ​​al-Khuwaysh, opposite modern S. Late ancient sources indicate the existence of a settlement near S. under the name Souma. According to Ammianus Marcellinus, in 364 (the retreat of the Roman army after the death of Emperor Julian), the fort of Sumere was located on the site of the city. The modern name, most likely, goes back to the Aramaic Sumra (a village in the vicinity of S.; the toponym is recorded in the Chronicle of Michael the Syrian).

According to Arabic sources, in 834-835. caliph al-Mutasim was forced to withdraw from Baghdad the military units of the Central Asian Turks (because of their conflicts with local population) and start looking for a place for a new capital. The path of the Caliph ran north; during one of the halts, al-Mu'tasim discovered a Christian monastery not far from his camp. The garden of the monastery, especially liked by the caliph, became the site of the laying of the palace, known as Dar al-Khilafa (836); later the monastery entered the complex of palace buildings as a treasury.

Under the sons of al-Mutasim, al-Wasik (842-847) and al-Mutawakkil (847-861), S. not only retained the status of the capital of the caliphate, but also became the scene of intensive urban development. Within 20 years, 20 palaces were erected in the city and its environs, several parks and fenced hunting grounds were laid out; in addition, tracks/arenas were built for horse racing. According to the plan of al-Mutawakkil, the city was to surpass in splendor all the former capitals of the Caliphate. For example, in 861, the caliph ordered that a cypress planted by Zarathustra in honor of the conversion of King Gishtasp be cut down and delivered to S.; beams for the next caliph's palace were to be made of ancient wood (al-Mutawakkil was not alive by the time the precious trunk was delivered).

One of the few well-preserved monuments of urban planning activity of al-Mutawakkil (848-852). This grandiose building with an area of ​​approx. 38000 sq. m accommodated up to 80,000 worshipers and was the largest mosque in the Muslim ecumene. At the northern wall of the mosque, at the level of its middle, rises the pseudo-seven-tier minaret al-Malviyya (literally "twisted") - a cyclopean structure, which is a cone placed on a square base (the now missing wooden pavilion, installed on the upper platform, was the eighth tier). The appearance of a tiered structure is created by an external spiral staircase leading up from the base, the width of which (2.3 m) allowed the caliph to ride to the top. The height of the minaret from the base to the upper platform is 53 m.

In 859, al-Mutawakkil laid new town 15 km north of S., to which he gave his name (al-Mutawakkiliya). Among the first, a building was erected, to which the architects gave an almost complete resemblance to the large cathedral mosque in S. This mosque, Abu Dulaf, is slightly inferior to its prototype in size (29,000 sq. M.); it also has a minaret (34 m) at the level of the middle of the northern wall (the outer spiral staircase of the Abu Dulaf minaret is steeper than that of al-Malviyya, it forms six pseudo-tiers). The reasons that prompted al-Mutawakkil to start building the city (in fact, replicas of S.) are not known. It is believed that the completion of the work should have been a signal for the transfer of the capital to a new location. With the death of the caliph in 861, construction work was stopped.

View from the spiral minaret of Samarra and Al-Aqsa Mosque Iraq.

For 56 years, during which S. was the capital, the caliph's throne was occupied by eight people. The eighth caliph, al-Mu'tamed (son of al-Mutawakkil), returned to Baghdad in 884, and with his death (892), the capital was officially moved to its original location. By 894 the city was severely depopulated; Caliph al-Muqtafi, who visited S. in 903, found the palace of al-Mutasim badly destroyed and the return of the capital he had planned did not take place.

In 848, al-Mutawakkil summoned to S. the tenth imam of the Shiites, Ali al-Hadi (“leading the right way”), who then lived in Medina (b. 827), and settled him in the territory of the former military camp al-Mutasim (hence the nickname al-Askari, i.e. "inhabitant of the camp", or "prisoner of the camp", which then passed to his son, the eleventh imam). Later, Ali al-Hadi bought a house near the old mosque of al-Mutasim, where he lived under public supervision until his violent death. Shiite tradition ascribes to the tenth imam knowledge of many languages ​​​​(Persian, Slavic, Indian, Nabataean), sacred sciences (alchemy), the ability to foresee the future and perform miracles; he wrote a treatise on free will.

In 868 Ali al-Hadi died and was buried in the courtyard of his house; the imamate passed to his middle son Hasan (r. 845). According to legend, the eleventh imam, Hassan al-Askari, was married to Narjis-Khatun, who came from the line of emperors of Byzantium and counted the Apostle Peter among her ancestors. The child from this marriage, the twelfth Imam of the Shiites (counting from Ali b. Abi Talib), was, according to the well-known prophecy of Muhammad, to appear as the expected (al-muntazar) Mahdi (mahdi - "guided in the right way") and Qaim (al- qa'im, "risen with a sword", also "raising the dead", i.e. "resurrector"). Arguing with fate, Caliph al-Mu'tamed tightened his control over Imam Hasan and made several attempts to kill him in order to prevent the emergence of a legitimate candidate for the Caliphate. The Shiites, in turn, tried to protect the imam and his family from contact with outsiders; however, in 874 Hasan al-Askari died (possibly from poisoning) and was buried next to his father. The tafsir attributed to him was published in Iran in the last century.

Mosque al-Askari v Samarra.

The Abbasids and their supporters triumphed in victory until it became clear that Imam Hasan still managed to leave an heir. The boy, who received the name Muhammad, was born in 868; the fact of his birth was kept secret from everyone except his closest associates. The mysterious child was last seen descending into the basement in the courtyard of his parents' house a year before his father's death. According to one of the versions that spread among the Shiites at that time, he was hidden by his father in Medina. From 874 to 941, Imam Muhammad b. Hassan led the Shia community through four intermediaries (safara; pl.), successively replacing each other; this period was called the "little concealment" (ghaybat al-sughra). In 941, a few days before his death, the fourth safir reported that the imam announced to him about the beginning of the “great concealment” (ghaybat al-kubra), the term of which is determined by God himself, in connection with which the institution of mediation is canceled, and some or contact with the community becomes impossible.

According to the Shiite creed, the "great cover-up" will last until the End Times; the return of the Mahdi will occur at a time when evil and injustice will triumph in the world, people will almost completely lose their idea of ​​​​the sacred, and everything that connects a person with God will be close to extinction. Some traditions say that the appearance of the Mahdi will occur at the time of the planetary triumph of the Antichrist (al-dajjal). The final battle between the Mahdi warriors, including Imam Hussein and Hazrat Isa (i.e. Jesus of the Christian tradition), and the demonized humanity opposing them, who recognized the power of the Antichrist, takes on the clear outlines of a war of Light and Darkness, Good and Evil (literally Reason, aql, and Ignorance, jahl), and the imam himself is endowed with the qualities of an eschatological Savior.

Clickable 1600 px Walls of the Great mosques Mutawakkil.

The architectural complex of mashhad al-Askariyn (literally, “the place of confession of faith of the inhabitants of the camp”, i.e. imams Ali al-Hadi and Hassan al-Askari) consists of two buildings: a mausoleum-mosque crowned with a golden dome, to which two minarets are attached , and the sanctuary erected over the entrance to the sardab (cellar where the last imam disappeared in 873), known as maqam ghaybat ("place of hiding"); this second building also crowns the dome, but it is made not with gold, but with blue glaze. In the mausoleum, in addition to the imams, Khakima-Khatun, the sister of Ali al-Khadi, who preserved for posterity the circumstances of the birth and disappearance of the Mahdi, and Narjis-Khatun rest. The first structures over the graves of imams, erected in 944-45. under the Hamdanid Nasir-ad-Daula, they were rebuilt many times, incl. Arslan al-Basasiri under the Buyids (1053-54) and caliph Nasir li-Din-illah (1209-1210). The construction of the golden dome over the mausoleum of the tenth and eleventh imams was started by Shah of Iran Nasr-ad-Din (1868-1869) and completed under his successor Muzaffar-ad-Din (1905).

Clickable 1600 px, Mosque al-Askari v Samarra

Inaret al-Malviyya, which has become a kind of symbol of S. as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, is remarkable not so much for its architectural unusualness as for the symbolic connotations associated with it. A powerful base, comparable in size to the height of the minaret (a square with a side of 33 m), makes the building look like a pyramid, and the tiered structure is unequivocally associated with the ziggurat that Herodotus described, i.e. with the "House of the foundation of the heavens and the earth," the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:4). Especially indicative is the presence of an external staircase connecting the base and top of the minaret; in ziggurats, this architectural element was endowed with an important sacred function - the path of the deity's descent from heaven to earth. Jewish and Christian exegetes saw in the construction of the Tower of Babel the motive of theomachism. Medieval midrashim draw parallels between its construction and the rebellion of the “sons of God” Genesis 6:2 (2 En 7), which forced God to destroy the fallen creature with the Flood, and the idolater king Nimrod, who began construction, is likened to the fallen angel Shemhazai. In Muslim exegesis, especially in Persian tafsirs, Nimrod is not just a tyrant and idolater, who is opposed by the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), but a violent adversary of God; having failed in the construction of the tower, he tries to fly up to heaven, and in response to an offer to repent, he challenges God to fight and dies. In the light of the clarifications made, giving the appearance of a ziggurat to the minaret of the capital's cathedral mosque cannot be perceived otherwise than as the self-identification of the Muslim caliph with the god-fighting king.

The minaret of al-Malviyya, from which calls to prayer have not sounded for a long time, and the giant rectangle of a large mosque lying at its foot, empty and abandoned, are a truly apocalyptic spectacle, making one think about the contrast between the now uninhabited S. caliphs and S. imams - always the crowded courtyard of the al-Askariyn mosque, crowned with a sparkling golden dome, and the residential areas located around.

If Mecca is a symbol of the beginning of the sacred history of Muslims (the black stone of the Kaaba is the angel who accompanied Adam after being expelled from Paradise, and the Kaaba itself is a temple rebuilt after the flood by Abraham and Ismail), S. is a harbinger of its accomplishment. The new Babylon of the Abbasids, conceived as one of the wonders of the world - a palace city that, in a little over ten years, spread flowering gardens on terraces and raised huge minarets-ziggurats into the sky - became a warning about the short duration and illusory nature that marked the triumph of secular power over spiritual dominion . In the blindness of their own pride, the caliphs erected their Tower of Babel, unable to foresee its coming desolation; with satanic cunning they exterminated the imams from the house of Ali, not knowing that their disappearance from the human plane of Existence is only a promise of the Great Return. S. Khalifas - dead city, a symbol of the insignificance of the worldly before the sacred, the mortal before the eternal, a monument of theomachism and recklessness. S. Imams continues to live, reminding us of Divine justice (one of the tenets of Shiite Islam), that the night, no matter how long it is, will inevitably give way to dawn.

But the most outstanding architectural jewel, which glorified not only Samarra, but Iraq as a whole, was the Great Mosque - a gigantic building that easily accommodated about 80,000 Muslims who regularly flooded the square of the holy place to perform prayers.

Today, little remains of this majestic structure, but once it shook the imagination with its gigantic size and monumentality. Just imagine a huge courtyard, an impressive prayer hall and a tall minaret behind an impregnable wall with semicircular towers and sixteen entrances - all this in an area of ​​38,000 square meters.

The wall and other buildings of the ancient architectural ensemble decorated with glass mosaics in ultramarine tones, fine carvings and skillful stucco work. It took almost 4 years to create the Great Mosque - the complex was built from 847 to 852, and at the time the construction of the grandiose complex was completed, it was the largest and most outstanding building among all Islamic buildings.

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The wall of the mosque and the minaret of Malviya, famous throughout the world for its height and intricate shape, have survived to this day.

The width of the stairs is 2.3 m - such a distance easily allowed al-Mutawakkil to get to the highest turn of the ramp astride a sacred white Egyptian donkey. From there, from the top, a marvelous panorama opens up to the surroundings of the city and the valley of the Tigris River. The name of the minaret means "twisted shell", which refers to the spiral staircase that winds along the walls of the minaret.

Depending on the time of day and under the influence of lighting, the walls of the mosque and the minaret are transformed, acquiring either straw, amber, brick, or golden-pink hues. An architectural object of rare beauty is under the protection of UNESCO and is included in the register of monuments that make up the World Heritage.

Alas, the unique building, miraculously preserved to our era, had to suffer pretty much already in the current century. In April 2005, Iraqi insurgents attempting to remove an American observation post on top of the minaret staged an explosion that partially destroyed the top of the tower.

The minaret called Malviya, which is an impressive 52-meter-high tower with spiral ramps, still reminds of the former grandeur of the Great Mosque in Samarra, which during the time of the Abbasid Caliphate was the largest mosque in the world.

More than a thousand years old, the spiral-shaped building of the mosque is in danger of collapsing due to numerous damages received as a result of military attacks, according to Iraqi media reports.

The external staircase of the mosque is unstable: several stones are missing from it. The walls of the minaret, on which the names of visitors are carved, are also unreliable. It's not safe to be there. This was confirmed by an accident that occurred on March 29, 2017: a young man tried to climb the minaret, but fell and died.

Malvia is known for its spiral structure; it is unlike any other minaret in the world. The mosque is one of Samarra's many historical landmarks and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007. Lying on both sides of the Tigris River, 130 kilometers north of Baghdad, the ancient capital of Samarra well demonstrates the extent of the Abbasid Caliphate, which in the 8th century was the largest Islamic empire that stretched from Tunisia to Central Asia. Today Samarra is the only Islamic capital that has come down to us that has retained its original plan, architecture and art, in particular mosaics and carvings.

Al Ahram Gate reported on its website that a study (“Proposed Methods for the Preservation of the Great Mosque of Samarra and its Malwiya Minaret”), conducted last year by Issam Khishmat of the South Valley University in Egypt, showed that mosques have for many years years of damage of various nature. In 2003, during the American invasion of Iraq, the mosque served as a military base, and in 2005, the minaret was damaged during a terrorist attack that destroyed many elements of the architecture of the 1200-year-old monument.

Mahmoud Khalaf, mayor of the Samarra district, said some of the damage to the mosque building was caused by weather conditions and humidity. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Khalaf said that renovations were already underway at the mosque. In 2017, UNESCO and the Iraqi authorities signed an agreement to preserve and manage the old city of Samarra. This work should begin with the restoration of the Grand Mosque and the Malviya minaret.

“I have contacted officials from local and federal governments several times to get more funds to restore this old monument, but every time we received the same answer: “The main priority is the war against ISIS (banned in the territory Russian Federation– Islamosphere), security and stability of the country,” Khalaf said, explaining that a UNESCO delegation was investigating the mosque to cope with the damage caused by moisture and the destruction of bricks.

Khalaf is in touch with the engineer and archaeologist Giovanni Fontana Antonelli, a member of the UNESCO delegation, who is working on the restoration of the site. “We are trying to assess the condition of the mosque and find appropriate solutions to stop environmental and human risks, as well as repair the damage caused by previous improper repairs that were carried out during the Ba'athist regime in the 1990s,” Antonelli told Al-Monitor.

“In order to solve the tasks assigned to us, we will go to the field and meet with local authorities and stakeholders,” he also said.

According to Antonelli, "a joint technical committee monitors the quality of work to be carried out and the implementation of a joint project of Iraqi and international experts to develop a comprehensive reconstruction plan."

Al-Monitor interviewed Algerian archaeologist Mahmoud Bandakir, who is also a member of the UNESCO delegation. " Historical city Samarra was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2007 as a monument in danger. Therefore, the site needs some restoration work, which is the responsibility of the government.”

According to him, “the problem with security and lack of funding has led to delays in the implementation of repair and maintenance work. This means that Iraq violated the decision of the Committee world heritage adopted in 2013, under which governments were instructed to carry out appropriate maintenance and repair work”.

Bandakir stated: “After consultations with the authorities of Salahuddin province, it was decided to start work on the restoration of the Grand Mosque, as it has the most serious damage, not to mention the fact that improper repair and restoration work was carried out at this site at one time. In addition, the mosque was bombed during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.” He added that the restoration work must be carried out in accordance with international standards, as stipulated by the 1964 Venice Charter.

Maysun al-Damluji, head of the parliamentary committee on media and culture, said in an interview with Al-Monitor: “In the near future, archaeological sites and monuments will be reconstructed and investment projects will be created. The Iraqi Antiquities Authority said that the mosque's renovation and restoration work will be funded by funds from the Iraqi Sunni Fund received from tourists who visited the mosque under Saddam Hussein's regime.

Khalaf stated that the restoration plan will include “building infrastructure in accordance with the requirements that are imposed on the monuments included in the World Heritage List. Among the requirements are the construction of a building for the administration of the mosque, a consultation center for guests and the arrangement of areas. The design documents were submitted to the World Heritage Center and then sent for evaluation to the International Council for the Conservation of Monuments and Sites.”

In conclusion, he said: “We are ready to discuss tourism and cultural investment projects with them regarding the Grand Mosque and other city monuments.”

Adnan Abu Zeid / al-monitor.com

The Great Mosque of Samarra (Samarra, Iraq)

Samarra is an ancient city in Iraq, 124 km north of Baghdad, which is home to one of the tallest spiral mosques in the world.

The most famous page of life ancient city connected with the arrival of Muslims in these parts: in 836, due to unrest, the Caliph of the Abassids al-Mutasim was forced to move the capital of the Caliphate, and with it the entire Islamic world, from Baghdad to Samarra, where it remained until 892, after which it again returned to Baghdad. This turn of history changed the face of the city - it turned into a major shopping center in which they were built beautiful palaces and mosques.

The mosque began to be built in 848 and completed in 852 already during the reign of his son, Caliph Al-Mutawakkil.

Today, little remains of this majestic structure, but once it shook the imagination with its gigantic size and monumentality. Just imagine a huge courtyard, an imposing prayer hall and a tall minaret behind an impregnable wall with semicircular towers and sixteen entrances - all this in an area of ​​​​38,000 square meters, which easily accommodated 80,000 people.

The wall of the mosque and the minaret of Malviya, famous throughout the world for its height and intricate shape, have survived to this day. A cone-shaped structure with a spiral staircase rises on a square pedestal with sides of 33 meters, wrapping around Malvia along its entire 52-meter height - from a wide base to a narrow top - and, it seems, screwing into the very heavens. The mosque consists of 17 rows, the wall and other buildings of the ancient architectural ensemble are decorated with glass mosaics in ultramarine tones, fine carvings and skillful stucco molding.

The width of the stairs is 2.3 m - such a distance easily allowed al-Mutawakkil to get to the highest turn of the ramp astride a revered white Egyptian donkey. From there, from the top, a marvelous panorama opens up to the surroundings of the city and the valley of the Tigris River. The name of the minaret means "twisted shell", which refers to the spiral staircase that winds along the walls of the minaret.

Depending on the time of day and under the influence of lighting, the walls of the mosque and the minaret are transformed, acquiring either straw, amber, brick, or golden-pink hues.

Alas, the unique building, miraculously preserved to our era, had to suffer pretty much already in the current century. In April 2005, Iraqi insurgents attempting to remove an American observation post on top of the minaret staged an explosion that partially destroyed the top of the tower.

The Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo was built on the model of the Great Mosque in Samarra.

The complex of the Grand Mosque is under the protection of UNESCO, among other antiquities of Samarra, which together form a World Heritage Site.

Samarra is an ancient city in Iraq, 124 km north of Baghdad, which is home to one of the tallest spiral mosques in the world.

The most famous page in the life of the ancient city is associated with the arrival of Muslims in these parts: in 836, due to unrest, the capital of the Caliphate, and with it the entire Islamic world, was moved from Baghdad to Samarra, where it remained until 892, after which it returned again to Baghdad. This turn of history changed the face of the city - it turned into a major trading center, where beautiful palaces and mosques were built. So, in 847, the Great Mosque was built here with a unique spiral minaret At the time, the largest in the world.

And its minaret, built in 848-852 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakil, is still one of the highest today. Its spiral, 52 meters high, also serves as a staircase leading to the top.

Unlike most minarets, this one, due to its height, was not used as a call to prayer. However, visible at a fairly large distance from Samara, the minaret has always served as a kind of statement of the presence of Islam in the Tigris River valley.

Iraq: Mosque in Samarra

Samarra is an ancient city in Iraq, 124 km north of Baghdad, which is home to one of the tallest spiral mosques in the world.

The most famous page in the life of the ancient city is associated with the arrival of Muslims in these parts: in 836, due to unrest, the capital of the Caliphate, and with it the entire Islamic world, was moved from Baghdad to Samarra, where it remained until 892, after which it returned again to Baghdad. This turn of history changed the face of the city - it turned into a major trading center, where beautiful palaces and mosques were built. So, in 847, the Great Mosque with a unique spiral minaret was built here - at that time the largest in the world.

And its minaret, built in 848-852 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakil, is still one of the highest today. Its spiral, 52 meters high, also serves as a staircase leading to the top.

Unlike most minarets, this one, due to its height, was not used as a call to prayer. However, visible at a fairly large distance from Samara, the minaret has always served as a kind of statement of the presence of Islam in the Tigris River valley.