The Minaret of Jam (Pashto: د جام منار, Dari: منار جام) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Afghanistan. It is located in a remote and hard-to-reach area of the Shahrak District, Ghor Province, between the Jam and Hari Rivers. The minaret, which is about 62 meters (203 feet) or 65 meters (213 feet) tall, was built around 1190. It is made entirely of baked bricks and is known for its detailed decoration, including bands of Kufic and Naskhi calligraphy, geometric designs, and verses from the Qur'an. Since 2002, the minaret has been listed as a World Heritage Site in Danger due to serious erosion and lack of active preservation. In 2014, the BBC reported that the tower was at risk of collapsing soon.

In 2020, the Minaret of Jam was added to a list of cultural heritage sites from the Islamic world by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). According to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), this is Afghanistan's first cultural heritage site to be listed by ICESCO.

Etymology

The word "minaret" comes from the Arabic word [منارة]. It usually refers to a tower next to a mosque where the muezzin calls people to prayer. However, the word can also mean a lighthouse and has other meanings. In this case, the word is used more generally.

Architecture

The Minaret of Jam has a height of 65 meters (210 feet) and is constructed from baked brick, stucco, terracotta, and turquoise glazed tiles. Its exterior features floral and geometric designs. On the eastern side of the tower, text is written in ornamental angular Kufi script, except for the architect's name, Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Naysaburi, which is written in cursive script. At the top of the tower is a gallery. Inside, a central pillar supports two spiral staircases, each with 159 steps leading to wooden balconies. Each step has four layers of baked bricks arranged horizontally. The bottom steps are 4.59 feet (1.4 meters) wide, and the top steps are 3.28 feet (1.0 meters) wide. These steps alternate between being attached to the central pillar and the tower's exterior. The staircases and central pillar end at a landing, followed by six vaulted brick platforms above. On the tower's exterior, texts from the Quran are inscribed in angular square Kufi script. Decorative patterns include ribbon-like shapes and strands of intersecting boidal knots that alternate.

Site

The Minaret of Jam is likely located at the site of the Ghurid dynasty's capital, Firozkoh. The round minaret sits on a base shaped like an eight-sided figure. It had two wooden balconies and was topped by a lantern. The minaret is made from baked bricks, stucco, terracotta, and tiles that are colored turquoise. The outside of the structure is decorated with patterns of flowers and geometric shapes. Inside, there is a central pillar with two spiral staircases. Each staircase has 159 steps that lead to the balconies. Each step is made of four layers of bricks arranged horizontally. The steps near the bottom are 4.59 feet (1.4 meters) wide, and the steps near the top are 3.28 feet (1.0 meters) wide. These steps are alternately attached to the central pillar. The design of the minaret closely resembles the Ghazni minarets built by Masud III. Experts believe it inspired the Qutub Minar in Delhi, India.

The Minaret of Jam is part of a group of about 60 minarets and towers built between the 11th and 13th centuries in Central Asia, Iran, and Afghanistan. This group includes the Kutlug Timur Minaret in Old Urgench, which is considered the tallest of these structures still standing. These minarets were likely built to show the spread of Islam, while other towers served as landmarks or watchtowers. Some minarets have Koranic verses about Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is also respected in Islam. Some evidence suggests a noble woman from the Ghurid Dynasty may have commissioned the tower.

The area around Jam includes the ruins of a palace, fortifications, a pottery kiln, and a Jewish cemetery. This area is believed to be the remains of the lost city of Turquoise Mountain. Studies of "robber holes" near the site, satellite images, and data from Google Maps suggest the Ghurid summer capital near the minaret covered about 19.5 hectares.

In 2002, the archaeological site of Jam was named Afghanistan's first World Heritage site. It was also added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage in Danger because the minaret is in poor condition and the site has suffered from looting.

Archaeologists also found a Jewish cemetery 10 kilometers away from the minaret. This site includes remains of a military building, a palace, and pottery jars.

History

During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Ghurids ruled what is now Afghanistan, as well as parts of eastern Iran, Central Asia, northern India, and parts of Pakistan.

The Arabic inscription on the minaret is unclear. It might say 1193/4 or 1174/5 when changed to the Gregorian calendar. This could mean the minaret honors the victory of the Ghurid sultan Ghiyas ud-Din over the Ghaznavids in Lahore in 1186. However, Ralph Pinder-Wilson, a British archaeologist who studied the minarets of Jam and Ghazni in the 1970s, believed the minaret was built to celebrate the victory of Mu'izz ad-Din, Ghiyath ud-Din’s brother, over Prithviraj Chauhan. This victory helped spread Islam into northern India. Pinder-Wilson noted that the minaret was built in the style of the time, which included towers that showed the power of Islam after victories.

It is believed the minaret was connected to the Friday Mosque of Firozkoh. The Ghurid chronicler Minhaj-i Siraj Juzjani wrote that the mosque was destroyed by a sudden flood before the Mongol sieges in the early 13th century. Archaeologists working at Jam found evidence of a large courtyard building next to the minaret and signs of river sediments on top of baked-brick paving.

The Ghurid Empire’s power decreased after Ghiyath ud-Din died in 1202, as the empire lost territory to the Khwarazm Empire. Juzjani wrote that Firuzkuh was destroyed by the Mongols in 1222.

The minaret was not well known outside Afghanistan until Sir Thomas Holdich reported it in 1886 while working for the Afghan Boundary Commission. It became famous worldwide in 1957 because of French archaeologists André Maricq and Gaston Wiet. Later, Werner Herberg did some surveys around the site in the 1970s, and Ralph Pinder-Wilson completed his detailed study of the site in the same decade. Before the Soviet invasion in 1979 blocked access again, outside researchers had studied the site.

Inscriptional content

• The top section shows the Muslim statement of faith, called the shahada: "I bear witness there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."
• Below this, two upper sections include verse 13 from Surah al-Saff (chapter 61): "Help from Allah and present victory. Give good tidings to believers. O you who believe."
• The section beneath this lists the names and titles of Ghiyath ad-Din Muhammad bin Sam.
• Below this is a band with a larger version of Ghiyath ad-Din Muhammad's names and titles, made of turquoise mosaic tiles.
• A long, hexagon-shaped section has two lines of naskhi script: (1) "The work of 'Ali ibn…", (2) unreadable text.
• An inscription reading "Abu'l-Fath" is heavily damaged because it was made of stucco.
• Woven bands display verses from Surah Maryam (chapter 19).
• Facing north, a Kufic inscription states, "On the date of the year five hundred ninety" (equivalent to December 27, 1193, to December 16, 1194).

Conservation issues

The Minaret of Jam is in danger because of erosion, water seeping into the structure, and flooding caused by its closeness to the Hari and Jam rivers. Earthquakes, which happen often in the area, also threaten the tower. These problems have caused the tower to weaken and slowly lean over time.

After visiting in 2002, British explorer Rory Stewart, who later became a Member of Parliament, reported that looters and illegal digging had harmed the archaeological area around the minaret.

On July 21, 2018, Pajhwok News reported that Taliban fighters clashed with local forces near the minaret for six hours. The militants burned forests around the historic area and damaged a mosque. Fakhruddin Ariapoor, the Ghor Director of Culture and Information, said the area’s instability harmed parts of the surrounding green space. He noted the minaret remained undamaged but warned that without government action to protect the site, militants might destroy it.

On January 17, 2022, an earthquake in western Afghanistan killed 28 people. The quake caused bricks to fall from the tower, increasing the risk of it collapsing.

The minaret has faced threats of collapse multiple times in recent years due to severe flooding in 2014, 2019, and 2024.

Work to keep the structure stable began in the 1970s but stopped. Efforts resumed after 2001 but reportedly ended again by 2008.

UNESCO has tried to assess the minaret’s condition. In 2012, UNESCO planned to use 3D scanning, measure water flow, and strengthen support beams and walls to protect the tower. Photos of the outside were taken to help with future repairs. Iconem completed the 3D modeling for UNESCO, but political instability has limited funding and stopped maintenance. The difficult terrain around the site has also made progress hard. However, these assessments have provided useful information for future care. While fieldwork is still challenging, archaeologists have studied satellite images and Google Maps data to learn more about the minaret and its surroundings.

In December 2024, the local governor of Ghor announced that work to strengthen the site, including building retaining walls, would begin after recent floods. By March 2025, the retaining walls were completed after 50 days of work. However, some experts say more major efforts are needed to stop long-term damage to the minaret.

Gallery

• The Minaret of Jam features decorative writing on its outside walls.
• A close-up view of the Minaret of Jam.
• A section of the decorative writing on the Minaret of Jam's exterior.
• The decorated outside of the Minaret of Jam in August 2005.
• The Minaret of Jam includes design elements inspired by the Karramiyya style.
• The interior of the Minaret of Jam.
• The Minaret of Jam is located near the Hari Rud River.
• Baked-brick flooring near the Minaret of Jam in August 2005.
• A farmhouse along the path to the Minaret of Jam.