Umm al-Qura Mosque

The Umm al-Qura Mosque in western Baghdad is a large modern mosque completed in the early 2000s, notable for its unusual minarets shaped to resemble ballistic missiles and rifle barrels. Originally built under the previous government and later renamed, it centres on a broad blue-domed prayer hall surrounded by ornamental pools. The complex has served as a headquarters for Sunni religious scholars in Iraq. Its distinctive and controversial symbolism makes it one of the more unusual religious landmarks in the capital.