Samarra has one of the strangest histories of any city on earth. In 836 the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim, annoyed by clashes between his Turkish soldiers and the people of Baghdad, moved the entire court some 125 kilometres up the Tigris and built a new capital on the east bank. For about fifty-six years, until 892, it was the seat of the caliphate, a sprawling city of palaces, mosques, racecourses and barracks, and then it was abandoned, left to the desert. The result is an archaeological site of immense size, stretching for over thirty kilometres along the river, and it was listed by UNESCO in 2007.
What you can see is the same terrain as everywhere around Samarra: a flat, pale plain by the Tigris, scattered with mounds of mud-brick, low walls and the outlines of courtyards that were once part of palaces. The soil is silty and almost white in the heat, with irrigated date palms and cultivation near the river and a hard, empty steppe a short way back.
Riding here means flat, straight roads, with long views and dust. Highway 1 runs along the Tigris between Baghdad, Samarra and Tikrit, and it is a busy road with trucks and local traffic, so overtaking needs care. Summers are brutal, with temperatures above forty-five degrees, and the best time to visit is from October to April, when the days are mild. Dust storms can reduce visibility sharply in spring. The security situation in this part of Iraq has varied in recent years, so check current travel advice and local conditions before you plan any trip.
Samarra is a city of about 160,000 people, about fourteen kilometres from here, and has fuel stations, shops and simple restaurants. Tikrit, farther north, is another option, though it is nearly forty kilometres away. Carry water and sun protection. The Askari shrine, with its golden dome, is the city's great pilgrimage site, and the spiral minaret of the Great Mosque, the Malwiya, is the best-known monument. Ask locally about access and etiquette before visiting either.