Which Abbasid-era city is famous for its grand minarets and the Malwiya spiral tower?

• A. The Great Mosque of Samarra
• B. Al-Masjid al-Aqsa
• C. The Great Mosque of Cordoba
• D. The Blue Mosque

Answer: (A)

Recognizing a distinctive Abbasid-era architectural landmark and its location helps identify Samarra as the city famous for the Malwiya spiral minaret. The Malwiya is the striking spiral tower that rises beside the Great Mosque of Samarra, built in the mid-9th century under Caliph Al-Mutawakkil. Its tall, conical form wraps with a spiral ramp, creating a visually dramatic landmark that signals the Abbasid capital’s monumental mosque architecture. This combination—Samarra’s grand mosque plus the unique spiral minaret—defines the city in this context. By contrast, Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is in Jerusalem and predates this period in distinct style; the Great Mosque of Córdoba belongs to the Iberian Umayyad tradition, not the Abbasid Malwiya; and the Blue Mosque is a much later Ottoman-era building in Istanbul.