Qubbat al-Sulaibiyya is a small building with a large claim. It is a domed mausoleum from the 860s at Samarra, and it is generally considered to be the earliest surviving tomb of an Abbasid caliph, built for al-Muntasir, who ruled for only six months in 861 and 862, after the murder of his father al-Mutawakkil. Two later caliphs, al-Mu'tazz and al-Muhtadi, are believed to have been buried there too, which gives it a grim sort of importance. The structure is an octagonal chamber surrounded by an octagonal corridor, set inside a square enclosure, a plan that influenced later tombs across the Islamic world.
It stands on the eastern edge of the old capital, about nine kilometres from modern Samarra, on a flat plain beside the Tigris. The building is made of baked brick, once covered in plaster, and its surrounding wall is cut with niches, and the weathered, earth-coloured structure rises very simply out of the empty ground. Around it are old fields and clumps of tamarisk. Nothing else is nearby, and the silence of the place can be striking, with only the wind in the dry grass.
The nearest main road is Highway 1, the busy artery between Baghdad and the north, and you reach the site by smaller tracks that can be rough or sandy. A bike with decent ground clearance is better than a low tourer, and after rain the clay turns slick and sticky. The heat in summer can be extreme and the plain is shadeless, so plan your visit for early morning or late afternoon. Winter and early spring are the best seasons. Security conditions in the area have changed over the years, so look for up-to-date guidance and local advice before going.
Take water for the whole day and food if you have a long stay. Visit the Great Mosque with its spiral minaret, the Malwiya, which stands about fifty-two metres tall and was among the largest mosques in the world when it was built, and treat all religious sites with respect.