Iraq - Samarra - A man climbs the minaret of the Al-Mutawakkil mosque

A man climbs the minaret of the ancient mosque of Al-Mutawakkil at Samarra, Iraq.The first mosque, built in 836, has now disappeared; it was replaced in 849-852 by a new mosque built on a grand scale, which for a long time was the largest mosque of the Islamic world. It continued to be used until the end of the 11th century.