Samarra is a city in central
Iraq, which served as the capital of the
Abbasid Caliphate from 836 to 892. Founded by the caliph
al-Mu'tasim, Samarra was briefly a major metropolis that stretched dozens of kilometers along the east bank of the
Tigris, but was largely abandoned in the latter half of the 9th century, especially following the return of the caliphs to
Baghdad.