The Jam Minaret in Afghanistan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known for its intricate decoration. It was built in the late 12th century as a symbol of Islam’s conquest in the region and is made entirely of fired brick. The minaret is in danger due to earthquakes, flooding, and looting, but efforts are underway to restore and stabilize it. It is not recommended for most tourists due to the difficulties of reaching Afghanistan and the dangers of traveling through the countryside.
Jam Minaret is a large minaret in Afghanistan. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been since 2002. It has been considered endangered since its inception in the world heritage system.
Minarets are spiers often associated with Muslim mosques. It is from the top of a minaret that the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer, and that is why they are so high up. Some mosques have minarets reaching nearly 700 feet (215 m), but there are few extremely tall free-standing minarets in the world.
Jam’s minaret is nearly 215 feet (65 m) tall. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that the entire thing is made of fired brick. Jam’s minaret most likely served as the inspiration for the Qutub Minar, which is located in Delhi, India. The Qutub Minar is nearly 240 feet (73m) tall, barely beating the Jam Minaret as the tallest brick minaret in the world.
Jam Minaret is best known for the intricate decoration that covers it. Stucco and tiles adorn its structure, with stunning examples of Islamic calligraphy and beautiful geometric patterns. Quranic verses also adorn the minaret of Jam, including Sura al-Saff and Sura Maryam. Inside there are spiral staircases which lead to two balconies and pass by six large rooms.
The Jam Minaret, like many minarets built in Afghanistan and Iran at the time, was probably built as an enduring symbol of Islam’s conquest in the region. Jam Minaret is likely to have been built in the late 12th century by the Ghurid Sultanate, to celebrate their victory over the Turks or Ghaznevids. Originally the Jam Minaret was probably connected to the historic Firuzkuh Mosque, which was swept away not long after it was built.
In the early 13th century the region was conquered by the Mongols and many of the structures were destroyed. The Minaret of Jam remained standing, but was more or less completely forgotten by the outside world after the fall of the region. The minaret lay forgotten for centuries, until it was rediscovered in the late 19th century by the British. In the mid-13th century the site was further surveyed and more learned about it before the Soviets effectively closed Afghanistan to the outside world in the late 1919s.
Jam’s minaret is in danger due to a variety of environmental problems. Earthquakes are a constant threat to the minaret’s structural integrity, and both the Jam and Hari rivers flood regularly, slowly reducing the clay. People have occasionally looted sections of the minaret, as well as artifacts from the surrounding region, further leading to the structure’s disintegration. Efforts are underway to help restore and stabilize the Jam Minaret, but the current situation in Afghanistan has slowed things down somewhat.
Jam Minaret is quite out of the way, and given the difficulties of reaching Afghanistan and the dangers of traveling through the countryside, it is not recommended for most tourists. However, the site provides an excellent example of a clay minaret and the intricate reliefs make it a truly valuable piece of Islamic religious art.
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