Iraq is home to hundreds of historical mosques, which still stand tall despite the passage of time. The Great Mosque of Samarra and the Minaret of Malwiya are among the most prominent monuments of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutawakkil.
Most of the mosques were centers of cultural radiance, and scientific universities with full specializations. Baghdad, Kufa, Basra, and Mosul were the first Islamic cities to teach pure sciences such as astronomy and chemistry in their mosques.