Built around 1190 deep in the hidden barren mountains of Central Afghanistan, the Minaret of Jam is an ancient wonder. The 65-metre high minaret is an exquisite work of blue tiles and baked bricks. One of Afghanistan’s most significant archaeological treasures, it is the second-highest free standing minaret of the ancient world. The highest one in fact is our very own Qutub Minar in Delhi that is said to be inspired by the Minaret of Jam.
The red sandstone tower of Qutub Minar in India was built in the early 13th century and is 72.5 m high. The iconic monument of Jam became Afghanistan’s first World Heritage Site. The UNESCO describes it as “a graceful, soaring structure…noteworthy for the quality of its architecture and decoration, which represent the culmination of an architectural and artistic tradition in this region. Its impact is heightened by its dramatic setting, a deep river valley between towering mountains in the heart of the Ghur province.”
The forgotten monument is located in a maze of deserted and narrow gorges in the central mountains of the Shahrak District in Ghur Province. Adorned with naskhi and kufic calligraphy and verses from the Qur’an on a 9-metre-diameter octagonal base, the minaret was built as a commemorative monument to celebrate the victories of the Ghurid Empire. The 800-year-old structure is now considered as one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Afghanistan.
Surrounded by arid landscapes and desolate mountains, the majestic tower sits in a rugged, inaccessible valley along the confluence of Hari Rud and Jam Rud River. The rivers glide past it at 1900 m above sea level, around the ancient city of Firuzkuh, once considered the summer capital of the Ghurid dynasty. As you explore the outskirts of the Jam arena, few remnants of the lost city of Firuzkuh can be found.
Firuzkuh has been called the wonder of the age and one of the greatest cities ever built. It was once a large summer capital built amidst these jagged mountains. “Firozkoh” translates from the Persian to mean “turquoise mountain” and therefore the city is sometimes referred to as the Lost city of Turqoise Mountain, The great metropolis once flourished as a center for the Ghurid culture, wealth and power for almost a century, before it was destroyed.
Surrounded by arid landscapes and desolate mountains, the majestic tower sits in a rugged, inaccessible valley along the confluence of Hari Rud and Jam Rud River. The rivers glide past it at 1900 m above sea level, around the ancient city of Firuzkuh, once considered the summer capital of the Ghurid dynasty. As you explore the outskirts of the Jam arena, few remnants of the lost city of Firuzkuh can be found.
Firuzkuh has been called the wonder of the age and one of the greatest cities ever built. It was once a large summer capital built amidst these jagged mountains. “Firozkoh” translates from the Persian to mean “turquoise mountain” and therefore the city is sometimes referred to as the Lost city of Turqoise Mountain, The great metropolis once flourished as a center for the Ghurid culture, wealth and power for almost a century, before it was destroyed.
The single, solitary tower of Jam may be all that remains of Firuzkuh.The area surrounding the Minaret was under the grip of semi-nomadic Ghurids who proclaimed the power and dominance of Islam 800 years back. A mysterious discovery in the area was a small 12th-century Jewish cemetery about 2 miles away from the minaret’s base.
This led to a theory that it was a pre-Muslim holy site and that the tower had been built to mark the arrival of Islam in this most lonely and sacred spot. The hebrew inscriptions on large stones near the minaret, thought to have been grave markers for the Jewish cemetery suggest Muslims and Jewish people lived together at least somewhat peacefully. There still remains the remnants of an Islamic palace, few fortifications, the Jewish cemetery, a pottery kiln and the curious “robber holes”.
The entire premise makes up for around 19.5 hectares, marking the historical destruction of Firuzkuh by the invading Mongols in 1222. When the Mongols came, the residents of of the city were either killed or forced to abandon their home. It is still a mystery why the Mongols left the Minaret of Jam intact. Some of the scholars who studied the region hypothesize that the mongol leader Ghengis Khan spared it due to its value as a watchtower.
Surviving through eight turbulent centuries, the monument is currently threatened by the impact of various elements. Erosion, water infiltration and floods, due to its proximity to the Hari and Jam rivers, are ruining the structure slowly. Earthquakes, which happen frequently in the region, pose another threat.
Looting around the area, coupled with nature’s destructive habits, has officially pushed it to the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. The minaret has also survived through illegal excavations and Taliban skirmishes in the recent past. The earthquake on January 17, 2022 in Western Afghanistan had lent a further shove to its slow demolition.
The assessment programmes recently initiated by UNESCO have potential for future conservative measures, but the rough terrain and the Taliban Takeover keeps on impeding capital and resource access. Today, the Minaret of Jam, the first cultural heritage site of Afghanistan as listed by Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), requires acute attention.
For centuries, the minaret withstood all the geological as well human-led activities in the region, and still stands today. The grand monument is one of the earliest architectural expressions of Persianate culture on the Indian subcontinent that eventually inspired the Delhi Sultan Qutb al-Din Aibak to craft the Qutub Minar in India. Both the minarets share the symbols of the Ghurid Dynasty, connecting the great countries of India and Afghanistan through shared history.
Contributed by our team of experiential travel experts, explorers and storytellers.
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2 thoughts on “Qutub Minar: Unveiling its Afghan Inspiration, the Minaret of Jam”
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