# @rockyroadtravel on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DNfkKVTq4SL
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/33642222-rockyroadtravel-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/5e6213f5c8.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-08-18T10:36:12.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Rocky Road Travel (@rockyroadtravel) — https://gondola.cc/rockyroadtravel

## Caption

Ready to step into a lost empire? The spiral minaret of Abu Dulaf guards the secrets of a vanished city.
Built in 859 CE, this forgotten jewel belonged to al-Mutawakkiliyya - an entire imperial capital abandoned after just two years when Caliph Al-Mutawakkil was assassinated.

What makes this place mystical:

The spiral minaret echoes ancient Mesopotamian ziggurats Secret passage: the mosque was connected to the governor’s palace by a door beside the mihrab.
Massive complex: nearly square outer enclosure of 358 x 347 m with 18 courtyard buildings.
Part of Samarra’s traces that stretch for some forty kilometers along the Tigris - one of the largest archaeological ruins in the world.

You’re not just visiting a mosque - you’re walking through the remains of an empire that once ruled from Tunisia to Central Asia.

🎯 For true roadies:
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003.

📍 Abu Dulaf, Saladin Governorate, Iraq
DM us for the latest travel info & availability

By lucaputzer 

#rockyroadtravel #travel #iraqtravel #iraq

## Stats

- **Views:** 2,192
- **Likes:** 0
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 7

## Tags

iraq, travel, rockyroadtravel, iraqtravel

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