1AM I retired to my hotel room and went to bed.
8AM I left the hotel but returned shortly to retrieve my camera for the visit to Abbasid Palace. It took me about 20 minutes to return, and during that time, I decided to take my luggage with me for added flexibility.
9AM I hailed a taxi, and as we made our way, we passed by Al-Khilani Mosque and Square en route to Abbasid Palace.
10AM Following my exploration of Abbasid Palace, I hailed another taxi to reach the Iraqi National Museum, a treasure trove of Assyrian artifacts. Among the remarkable finds were Assyrian flying bulls, some with five legs, and human remains dating back to 2900 BC.
12:30PM I left and exchanged 100 USD nearby. The exchange lady tried to get me a tut-tut to Taq Kasra. The exchange lady attempted to arrange a tut-tut ride to Taq Kasra, which raised my suspicions. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a shot. However, the ride took me further north than expected. I enlisted the help of a few young women to find a cab for me, which cost 10,000 IQD.
2:30PM Upon arriving at Taq Kasra, I discovered it was closed for the day. The driver then took me to a nearby building, which he indicated might have been Saddam Hussein's Palace, though I couldn't be certain. This driver spoke very little English. After some negotiation, I agreed to pay him 24,000 IQD to take me back to the Baghdad car parking
5PM At the car park, it seemed that shared taxis were the only option available. I patiently waited for 45 minutes until we found three other passengers to share the ride with.
7:45PM As it turned out, the information I had received on Facebook was accurate—there were no hotels in Samarra. Initially, they considered sending me back to Baghdad, but I suggested Tikrit as an alternative. However, a new option arose, which involved staying at the Imam Ali Al Hadi Mosque. They held onto my passport at the first checkpoint.
8:10PM Someone working there kindly provided me with food and juice. I had to store my laptop and luggage separately. I wandered around the Imam for about 30 minutes before settling down on the floor with two blankets at 9 PM. After an hour, I relocated closer to a door with some AC heating.
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