Editing Samarra (section)

===Modern era===
In the eighteenth century, one of the most violent battles of the 1730–1735 [[Ottoman–Persian War (1730–35)|Ottoman–Persian War]], the [[Battle of Samarra (1733)|Battle of Samarra]], took place, where over 50,000 Turks and Persians became casualties. The engagement decided the fate of [[Ottoman Iraq]] and kept it under [[Istanbul]]'s suzerainty until the [[First World War]].

During the 1950s, Samarra gained new importance when a permanent lake, [[Lake Tharthar]], was created through the construction of the [[Samarra Barrage]], which was built in order to prevent the frequent flooding of Baghdad. Many local people were displaced by the dam, resulting in an increase in Samarra's population.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hann |first1=Geoff |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-9RNCgAAQBAJ&dq=samarra+barrage+displacement+population&pg=PA188 |title=Iraq: The ancient sites and Iraqi Kurdistan |last2=Dabrowska |first2=Karen |last3=Townsend-Greaves |first3=Tina |date=2015-08-07 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-84162-488-4 |language=en}}</ref><!-- Because this information was already present on this Wikipedia article prior to this travel guide's publication, there is a chance that this could be a circular reference. Ideally, a more scholarly reference or older source might be more reliable verification. -->
[[File:Samarra City 1.jpg|thumb|[[Al-Askari Shrine]]]]
Samarra is a key city in Saladin Governorate, a major part of the so-called [[Sunni Triangle]] where insurgents were active during the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bazzaz |first=Sahar |title=Imperial Geographies in Byzantine and Ottoman Space |publisher=Center for Hellenic Studies |year=2013 |editor-last=Bazzaz |editor-first=Sahar |series=Hellenic Studies Series |location=Washington, DC |language=en |chapter=The Discursive Mapping of Sectarianism in Iraq: The “Sunni Triangle” in the Pages of The New York Times |editor-last2=Batsaki |editor-first2=Yota |editor-last3=Angelov |editor-first3=Dimiter |chapter-url=https://chs.harvard.edu/chapter/11-the-discursive-mapping-of-sectarianism-in-iraq-the-sunni-triangle-in-the-pages-of-the-new-york-times-sahar-bazzaz/}}</ref> Though Samarra is famous for its Shi'i holy sites, including the tombs of several Shi'i Imams, the town was traditionally and until very recently, dominated by [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[Arab]]s. Tensions arose between Sunnis and the Shi'a during the Iraq War. On February 22, 2006, the golden dome of the [[al-Askari Mosque]] was [[2006 al-Askari Shrine bombing|bombed]] by [[Al-Qaeda in Iraq]], setting off a period of rioting and reprisal attacks across the country which claimed hundreds of lives. No organization claimed responsibility for the bombing. On June 13, 2007, Sunni insurgents [[2007 al-Askari Mosque bombing|attacked the mosque]] again and destroyed the two [[minaret]]s that flanked the dome's ruins.<ref name="Ricks2010">{{cite book|author=Thomas E. Ricks|title=The Gamble: General Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gHMJCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT3|date=6 January 2010|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-101-19206-1|page=228}}</ref> On July 12, 2007, the clock tower was blown up. No fatalities were reported. Shiʿi cleric [[Muqtada al-Sadr]] called for peaceful demonstrations and three days of mourning.<ref name="rfer_Expl">{{Cite web | title = Explosion Topples Minarets At Iraqi Shi'ite Shrine | work = RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty | date = 2007-06-13 | access-date = 2015-08-22 | url = http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1077098.html }}</ref> He stated that he believed no Sunni Arab could have been behind the attack, though according to the ''New York Times'' the attackers were probably Sunni militants linked to [[Al-Qaeda]].<ref name="nyti_Seve">{{Cite web | title = Several Mosques Attacked, but Iraq Is Mostly Calm - New York Times | author1 = John F. Burns | author2 = Jon Elsen | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 2007-06-14 | access-date = 2015-08-22 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/world/middleeast/14cnd-iraq.html?pagewanted=all }}</ref> The mosque compound was closed after the 2006 bombing and a indefinite curfew was placed on the city by the Iraqi police at the time.<ref>{{cite news|author= Qassim Abdul-Zahra|agency=Associated Press |date=June 13, 2007|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070613/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq|title=Iraqi police say famous shrine attacked}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6747419.stm |title=Blast hits key Iraq Shia shrine|publisher=BBC |date=2007-06-13 |access-date=2012-04-21}}</ref> In 2009, the mosque reopened while restoration was ongoing.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chulov |first=Martin |date=2009-04-16 |title=Bombed Iraq shrine reopens to visitors |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/16/samarra-shia-shrine-restored |access-date=2023-09-26 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Ever since the end of Iraqi civil war in 2007, the Shia population of the holy city has increased exponentially. However, violence has continued, with bombings taking place in [[2011 Samarra bombing|2011]] and [[20 September Samarra attack|2013]]. In June 2014, the city was attacked by the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIL) as part of their [[Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)|Northern Iraq offensive]].  ISIL forces captured the municipality building and university, but were later repulsed by the [[Iraqi Ground Forces|Iraqi army]] and SWAT forces after capturing the city and holding it for two days.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web|last=Hassan |first=Ghazwan |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-idUSKBN0EG1RG20140605 |title=Iraq dislodges insurgents from city of Samarra with airstrikes |work=Reuters |date=5 June 2014 |access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> The nearby [[Imam Dur Mausoleum]], a historic mausoleum dedicated to [[Muslim ibn Quraysh]], a Shi'i ruler, was destroyed by ISIL in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archnet > Site > Qubba Imam al-Dur |url=https://www.archnet.org/sites/3838 |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=www.archnet.org}}</ref>