Minaret of Jam

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The minaret of Jam in the valley of the Hari Rud
Jam Minaret (Afghanistan)
Minaret of Jam
Minaret
of Jam
Geographical location of the Jām minaret in Afghanistan
Decorations on the outside
Fortifications of the Qasr Sarafshan above the minaret

The minaret of Jam (pronounced: jam ; Persian منار جام, DMG Minār-e Ǧām ), built in the 12th century , is the second highest brick minaret in the world after the Qutub Minar with a height of 65 meters . It stands in the central Afghan province of Ghor on the river Hari Rud at the confluence of the left tributary Jām Rud and about five kilometers north of the place Jām . The minaret and the surrounding archaeological sites were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2002 and at the same time entered on the Red List of World Heritage in Danger.

description

The minaret stands in the valley of the Hari Rud, directly on the south bank of the river, at a point where tributaries flow from both sides between the 500 to 600 meters towering mountains. Four narrower, cylindrical tower shafts rise from an octagonal base with a diameter of 9 m. Inside the tower can be climbed via a double spiral staircase; Above the first landing at a height of almost 40 meters, steep steps that are anchored to the outer wall lead over six mezzanine floors to the top.

The outside of the minaret is completely decorated with geometric reliefs and bands of inscriptions, some of which consist of fired tiles. The lowest shaft is most richly decorated, horizontal bands contain the full text of the 19th sura ( Maryam ) of the Koran .

The minaret is one of a group of 60 minarets and towers built in Central Asia between the 11th and 13th centuries.

On the surrounding slopes, high above the valley, the ruins of medieval fortifications and a cistern made of bricks can be seen. The remains of a bazaar were demolished in 1964 in favor of a hotel.

history

It is believed that the minaret stands on the site of the ancient capital of the Ghurid dynasty, Firuzkuh (or Ferozkoh ). An inscription on the tower contains a year that can be read as either 1193/4 or, more likely, 1174/5. Accordingly, the tower could have been built to celebrate either the victory of Sultan Muizz ad-Din in the Battle of Delhi (1192) or that of his brother Sultan Ghiyath ad-Din (1157-1202) at Ghazna (1173).

There are indications that the mosque belonging to the minaret was rather average in size and thus unusually disproportionate to the tower. According to a contemporary report, the mosque was destroyed by a flood. Excavations have revealed the remains of a larger courtyard next to the minaret.

As early as 1215, the Ghurid Empire fell apart again. After the conquest by the Khorezm Shahs , the attack by the Mongols followed , who destroyed Firuzkuh in 1222.

Monument protection

The building was completely unknown in the west until the 20th century. Archaeological investigations were carried out for the first time in the 1960s, but these were interrupted by the decades of war in Afghanistan . Application for inclusion in the World Heritage List had already been made in 1982, but could not be realized until 2002.

In the 1990s it was discovered that the river was threatening to undermine the minaret's foundations. Gabions were therefore installed, but measurements showed that the tower had started to tilt. As part of UNESCO's efforts to protect cultural heritage in Afghanistan, substantial aid has now been made available for security measures. After a flood in April 2007, the gabions had to be replaced with new stone walls in order to be able to effectively prevent future floods.

The World Heritage Committee also names the reason for the World Heritage site to remain on the Red List that state structures are still too weak to guarantee effective protection. The training of overseers to prevent looting and illegal excavations on site has not yet been completed. The plan for a bridge over the Hari Rud near the minaret was stopped in 2005, but in 2009 the Afghan side complained about the lack of current documents on the progress of the security work.

literature

Web links

Commons : Minaret and Archaeological Finds of Jam  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam. Retrieved August 25, 2017 .
  2. ↑ WHC-09 / 33.COM / 7A , Status Report 2009 on the Red List of the World Heritage Committee, p. 68
  3. ↑ WHC-06 / 30.COM / 7A , Status Report 2006 on the Red List of the World Heritage Committee, p. 80

Coordinates: 34 ° 23 ′ 47.6 "  N , 64 ° 30 ′ 57.8"  E