-- By CNN's Jomana Karadsheh

It was my first time at Iraq’s ground zero.

Al- Askari Shrine in Samarra, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest sites, was bombed twice. It was the first bombing on February 22nd 2006 that destroyed the shrine’s golden dome, and the one that would change Iraq forever.

The US Military and the Iraqi Government blamed al-Qaeda in Iraq. Shiites blamed Sunnis for the attack on the shrine that houses the tombs of two of Shiite Islams 12 revered Imams.

Soon, reprisal attacks against Sunnis escalated into a bloody sectarian war that plagued the country and claimed tens of thousands of lives. Chills ran down my spine as I thought of the lives lost since that day.

The U.S. Military organized our media trip to the city after it was recently listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The security situation in Iraq, including the predominantly Sunni city of Samarra, has changed for the better over the past few months, but little looked like it had changed at the Shrine itself. Rubble from the bombings was still piled high, lining the sides of the road leading to the shrine.

The few workers on site looked unenthused. The shrine is now protected by Shiite guards deployed by Iraq's Prime Minister. The tough looking guards asked our U.S. military escorts to stay outside as they took us into the shrine complex. Citing orders from the PM, they hurried us through parts of the shrine and scrambled what we could film.

But just a few months ago a similar tour might not have been possible. “You couldn’t walk here without taking fire” one soldier said. The security situation in Samarra has drastically improved in recent months and U.S. commanders attribute that to a number of factors including the Sons of Iraq, mainly former Sunni fighters who have turned against al-Qaeda.

Following our visit to the shrine, soldiers from the 101st Airborne drove us back to their base, just a few minutes drive from al-Askari compound. What once was “The Samarra Resort Restaurant” is now U.S. Patrol Base Olsen. We were taken up to a rooftop of one of the buildings for a joint press conference by US and Iraqi commanders. The view from the roof was breathtaking… it was one of the very few times I had the chance to admire the beauty of Iraq. A panoramic view of a Samarra landmark- the 9th century minaret (al-Malwiyya), al-Askari shrine and the lush farmlands on the banks of the Tigris.

The charismatic US commander in Samarra, Lieutenant Colonel J.P. McGee, said just the fact that we were standing on the roof was evidence of the city’s security transformation. But like the rest of the country, these remarkable security gains are fragile and that is why McGee and his men have now shifted their focus to rebuilding the city and are working with local leaders to provide residents with essential services like power and water.

McGee says by getting services to the people of Samarra they will have no reason to fight the government. Up until a few months ago, Samarra was a stronghold of al-Qaeda in Iraq. One local resident said insurgents had terrorized the population with bombings, kidnappings and public executions. Until recently the city was paralyzed.

Also paralyzed up until six months ago was the reconstruction of the shrine. Samarra’s mayor says he expects al-Askari shrine to be rebuilt in two years. Captain Josh Kurtzman, commander of Charlie Company smiled when I asked him how it feels to have such an important shrine as part of his area of responsibility.

“It’s a great responsibility, the most important thing that I think I have been able to do in my life so far and most interesting time of my life has been in this city I would say just because of all the history …both old history and history being made” he said, standing in the shadow of the destroyed shrine.

Kurtzman says rebuilding al-Askari takes time. The young commander said if the Vatican needed to be rebuilt, people would want to take their time too. As our chopper took off, I gazed at the shrine and wondered if the wounds it left in Iraq would ever heal.