Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya and Najaf,
Kufa is one of five Iraqi cities that are of great importance to Shi'ite Muslims.
The Great Mosque of Samarra was, for a time,
the largest mosque in the world; its minaret, the Malwiya Tower, is a spiralling cone 52 metres(171 ft) high and 33 metres(108 ft) wide with a spiral ramp.