Minaret of Jam description and photo - Afghanistan (Topic)

Minaret of Jam description and photo - Afghanistan. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Minaret of Jam.

Photo and description

The Jam minaret is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the remote and inaccessible Shahrak region of the Ghor province, on the banks of the Hari River.

The 62-meter minaret was built around 1190. It is made of light baked bricks and is famous for its ornate masonry and glazed tiled decorations, consisting of alternating stripes of Kufi and Naskhi inscriptions, figured designs and suras from the Koran. Inside, an amazing double spiral staircase has been preserved, unknown in Europe until the Renaissance. The circular minaret rests on an octagonal base, it had two wooden balconies and a lantern at the top.

The Jam minaret belongs to a group of 60 minarets and towers erected between the 11th and 13th centuries in Central Asia. Iran and Afghanistan. It is assumed that religious buildings were erected to commemorate the victory of Islam, and the function of the towers was a guard and for orientation on the ground. The surrounding archaeological landscape consists of the ruins of a palace, a fortress, a pottery kiln and a cemetery.

The Jam minaret is probably located on the site of the Gurid capital, Firuzkuh. Scientists believe the minaret was attached to the Friday mosque, which was destroyed during severe flooding even before the Mongol siege in the early 13th century.

The building is little known outside the country and has not received much attention from foreign tourists. Nonetheless, President Ashraf Ghani has shown an interest in preserving the cultural life of Afghanistan and is collaborating with the UNESCO Kabul Office.

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Topic: Minaret of Jam description and photo - Afghanistan.