Samarra

Samarra is a city in Iraq which stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate. During the Middle Ages, it served as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate for a period of nearly sixty years, between 836 and 892.^[1] It was also the birthplace of the Hidden One Basim ibn Ishaq, the human incarnation of the Isu Loki.^[2]^[3]

The city housed the famous Great Mosque of Samarra, built between 848 and 851 by Basim's father Ishaq ibn Khalid^[4]^[5] on Caliph al-Mutawakkil's orders, until it was largely destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Iraq in 1278. Only the mosque's outer wall and minaret have been preserved.^[6]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

In an interview with Arabhardware, Lead Producer Fabian Salomon was asked why Assassin's Creed: Mirage would be set in Baghdad rather than the Abbasid Caliphate's capital of Samarra, and whether players would be able to visit it in any capacity. In response, he said that the developers wanted to explore Baghdad because of its rich architecture and culture from being a central trade location along the Silk Road. He went on to say that while a few areas just outside the city would also be open to players, Samarra was not in that list.^[7]