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After a long and somewhat fraught journey we arrive at the Minaret of Jam a day and a bit late. This is the highlight of the trip for me. One of the most astounding historical sights in the world and probably one of the hardest to get to. Even when we did get our minibus fixed it was another hour and a half journey over a very rough road. In places the road deteriorated to a stream bed.

No one is really sure what this tower is for. It could indeed have been a minaret or it may be a victory tower to celebrate winning an important battle.

The minaret is 65 metres tall and is the second tallest in the world (only beaten by the Qutb Minar in Delhi). It is 800 years old and leaning at a precarious angle, yet is still remarkably intact. It is probably the best preserved architectural monument from the Ghorid period. For a closer view of the detail of the brickwork, see the post here.

A wonderful surprise was that the site manager allowed us to climb to the top. We were able to reach the single window that you can see a few metres down from the very highest point. I don't like heights at the best of times and I have to say this scared the willies out of me - but I couldn't come all this way and refuse the unexpected opportunity.

And just to prove that I climbed to the top I have posted a couple of pictures. One is of the Hari Rud river and the other is of the research centre.

I have also added two more pictures to better demonstrate the scale of the minaret, here and here.

(Information adapted from An Historical Guide to Afghanistan by Nancy Hatch Dupree.)

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jbweasle

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The Minaret with Donkey
Edited by:jbweasle

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Another shot to show the scale of the minaret. It also clearly demonstrates the angle at which the tower is leaning. It wasn't just the height that scared me when I climbed it - I thought it may well topple over!

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