While this particular regional grouping may seem puzzling, it seems justified in view of the importance of the sprawling urban complex of Samarra, which extends over dozens of kilometers along the Tigris River above Baghdad. For the brief period of some decades in the 9th century of the Common Era, the Abbasid caliphs moved their capital from Baghdad to Samarra. Many of the quarters of the extended city were military barracks. The cost of the construction and of maintaining the army seem to have contributed to the collapse of Abbasid finances in the middle of the 9th century. The site contains the remains of numerous palaces and mosques, some of them of considerable importance for establishing the history of the evolution of early Islamic architecture. Palaces and other buildings were decorated extensively with carved stucco and also with colorful glazed tiles. The carved stucco, which went through several styles of increasing abstraction has been used to trace the evolution of early islamic figurative imagery. It is clear from surviving fragments that human imagery decorated the walls of some of the buildings. Samarra has also yielded a great many ceramics, including Chinese wares of the T'ang period and their local imitations.

While the material is somewhat specialized, one can consult usefully for an introduction to the study of Samarra the following:

• "samarrafinds.info" (formally titled: "The archaeological Finds from Samarra in Iraq, Residence of the caliphs 221-279 H/836-892 AD"), a website for the project which is cataloguing and digitizing the materials from the German Samarra Expedition of 1911-1913 led by Friedrich Sarre and Ernst Herzfeld. The expedition acquired most of the objects in the Berlin collection. The website contains a usful short introduction to the history of the city, the excavation, and the fate of the collection. It has a few nice illustrations from historical photographs and a bibliography.
• Alastair Northedge, “Remarks on Samarra and the archaeology of large cities,” Antiquity 79 (2005): 119-129.
• Chase F. Robinson, ed., A Medieval Islamic City Reconsidered: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Samarra. Oxford Studies in Islamic Art, XIV (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Pr., 2001).

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	Wall revetment from a private house Iraq, Samarra. 9th c. CE. Carved stucco (style A). Inv. Nr. I.3530 Pub.: Islamic Art, p. 4-5; cf. also Grabar, pp. 57-59; Hattstein, pp. 105-107.
	Wall revetment from a private house Iraq, Samarra. 9th c. CE. Carved stucco, style B. 1.17 x 2.61 m. Inv. Nr. I.3477 Pub.: Islamic Art, pp. 22-23
	Wall revetment from a private house Iraq, Samarra, from House XII, room 11 9th c. CE. Carved stucco, bevelled style (style C). Pub.: Islamic Art, pp. 4-5; cf. also Grabar, pp. 57-59; Hattstein, pp. 105-107.
	Wall revetment from a private house Iraq, Samarra. 9th c. CE. Carved stucco, bevelled style (style C). 1.30 x 2.25 m. Inv. Nr. I.3467 Pub.: Islamic Art, p. 24; cf. also Grabar, pp. 57-59; Hattstein, pp. 105-107.
	Wall revetment from a private house Iraq, Samarra. 9th c. CE. Carved stucco, bevelled style (style C). Inv. Nr. I.3579 Pub.: Islamic Art, pp. 4-5; cf. also Grabar, pp. 57-59; Hattstein, pp. 105-107.
	Fragments of wall paintings with human heads Iraq, Samarra, from the palace of Gausaq and from a private house. 9th c. CE.
	Plate North China (found at Samarra, Iraq). 9th c. Glazed, insribed earthenware. Inv. Nr. Sam. 839
	Plate North China (found at Samarra in Iraq). 9th c. Inv. Nr. Sam. 838
	Bowl North China (found at Samarra, Iraq). 9th c. Inv. Nr. Sam. 784a
	Fragment of bowl with relief decoration North China, 9 c. CE. White porcelain. Found at Samarra, Dar al-Khilafa (Palace of Gausaq, Harem). Inv. Nr. I.1150
	Bowl Iraq, Samarra. 9th c. Imitation of Chinese stoneware. Inv. Nr. Sam. 748
	Pan with handle Iraq, Samarra. 9th c. Imitation of Chinese stoneware. Inv. Nr. Sam. 411, 411a
	Fragment of a bowl Iraq, Samarra. 9th c. Painted and glazed earthenware. Inv. Nr. I.1105a
	Dish with stylized representation of a bird Iraq, Samarra. 9th c. Earthenware with golden lustre painting. 8.5 x 26.7 cm. Inv. Nr. Sam 1102 Pub.: Islamic Art, p. 26; Hattstein, p. 120.

Revised January 20, 2009