SAMARRA, Iraq — The Malwiya Minaret, an impressive tower at a height of 52 meters (171 feet) with a spiral ramp, still recalls the past glory of the Great Mosque of Samarra, which had been the largest mosque in the world during the Abbasid Caliphate.

However, the spiraling structure of more than a thousand years now runs the risk of crumbling because of the many attacks it has suffered, according to Iraqi media reports.

Its external stairway is unstable, with some stones missing, and the minaret has shaky walls that have the names of visitors carved into them. There is no security at the site, and a young man fell from the minaret and died on March 29, 2017, after having attempted to climb it.

Malwiya is known for its spiraling structure; it does not look like any other minaret in the world. It is one of the many historical landmarks of Samarra, which was put on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2007. Located on both sides of the Tigris River, 130 kilometers (81 miles) north of Baghdad, the ancient capital of Samarra shows the reach of the Abbasid Caliphate, which was the major Islamic empire of the 8th century; it extended from Tunisia to Central Asia. Today, Samarra is the only surviving Islamic capital that retains its original plan, architecture and arts such as mosaics and carvings.