(photo © Jeff Emanuel 2007)

Iraqi contractors work on the new National Police barracks and training center north of Samarra. When finished, the center will house (and serve as the operations center for) over 1,500 Iraqi and National Police.

The 52-meter high Spiral Minaret of the Great Samarran Mosque (built in 852 A.D.), once the largest mosque in the world, looms in the background. The minaret, located in the northwestern part of the city, is the dominant terrain feature in the area, visible from kilometers away in every direction.