During this same time, numerous palaces were built and one, the palace at Kufah (late 600s), still stands today. This building, which was a palace and center of the government, became a model of later palaces in the country and region as a whole. Large palace cities were also built during this time as the palace centered the city, which expanded to city walls, then continued outward. This design, although none exist today, can been read about in The Thousand and One Arabian Nights or can be seen in numerous Hollywood films. Baghdad was built on this model, although little from this time period (originally built in the 700s) remains today.
Among the best architecture from the Abbasid rulers that still stands today, is the city of Samarra (which was the capital for a short while, beginning in 836). This city boasts in large number of monuments, including the famed Minaret of, and the Great Mosque itself (850).
From the initial introduction of Islam to the 1100s, later in some areas, architecture changed little. This ended with the Seljuk rulers. The Seljuks built primarily of stone as ornamental tile work became more common. Most of the buildings from this time reflect that of modern day Turkey as they shared the same rulers and maintained similar styles.
The region fell into a long period of relative decline as ruler after rule tried to take the region; this led to prolonged instability and few new monuments structures being built from the 1300s to the 1900s.
In the 1900s, Iraq has received modern buildings, which are much easier to build due to the materials and machines created by the Industrial Revolution, including concrete, steel, and cranes. There are numerous modern buildings in the country, most particularly in the capital city of Baghdad.