Ghazni Minarets are two elaborately decorated minaret towers located in

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

city, central

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. They were built in middle of the twelfth century and are the only surviving elements of the mosque of Bahram Shah.C.E. Bosworth, ''The Later Ghaznavids'', (Columbia University Press, 1977), 115. The two minarets are 600 meters (1968 feet) apart and lie in an open plain, north-east of Ghazni city. The minarets had a height of 44 meters in the 19th century, before the top half of both minarets crumbled in an earthquake in 1902. Now the minarets are about 20 meters high. Both minarets of Ghazni are 20 metres (66 feet) tall and built of fired mud brick. The surface of the towers are decorated beautifully with intricate geometric patterns and Qurunic verses on elaborate

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

tiles. In the 1960s, both towers were fitted with sheet metal roofs in a limited preservation effort. The ruins of the

Palace of Sultan Mas'ud III The Palace of Sultan Mas'ud III is a Ghaznavid palace in Ghazni, Afghanistan. The palace was built in 1112 by Sultan Mas'ūd III (1099-1114/5), son of Ibrahim of Ghazna. Description There is a dado with a poem in Persian and Kufic script and o ...

are located near Mas'ud III's minaret.

History

The 12th century minarets are the most famous monuments of Ghazni city and are among the last surviving remnants of the great

Ghaznavid Empire The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwes ...

. The two minarets are called, Mas'ud III Minaret (''Manar-i Mas'ud III'') and Bahram Shah Minaret (''Manar-i Bahram Shah'') after the ruler who built them,

Mas'ud III Mas'ūd III of Ghazna (b. 1061 – d. 1115), was a sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire and son of Ibrahim of Ghazna. Life Mas'ūd was born in 1061 in Ghazni. Reign Mas'ud was sultan for 16 years. In 1112, Mas'ūd III built the Palace of Sultan Ma ...

(A.D. 1099-1115) and

Bahram Shah Al-Malik al-Amjad Bahramshah was the List of Ayyubid rulers#Emirs of Baalbek, Ayyubid emir of Baalbek between 1182–1230 (578–627 AH). Reign Bahramshah succeeded his father Farrukh Shah, Farrukhshah as ruler of the minor emirate of Baalbek and ...

(A.D. 1118-1157). The excavated palace of Mas'ud III lies nearby to the towers. Atkinson1839

The minarets were taller before the upper sections were damaged and destroyed over time. Part of the Masud III minaret top was destroyed in an earthquake in 1902.

Threats

Ghazni Minarets are not well preserved or protected. Both towers are in danger from natural elements and the political instability in Afghanistan. There are no basic security measures in place to prevent vandalism and the towers are in need of new roofing to prevent water infiltration into the towers. The towers' facade contains intricate geometric patterns and

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

ic inscriptions which are deteriorating rapidly with exposure to rain and snow. They are further affected by the nearby road and the area is subject to periodic flooding.

Gallery

Mas'ud III Minaret

Mas'ud III's minaret is stylistically more complex, and uses a larger variety of decorative techniques, compared to the minaret of his son Bahram Shah. File:Mas'ud III b. Ibrahim minaret, Ghazni, built between 1099 and 1115 CE.jpg, Mas'ud III's minaret, Ghazni, built between 1099 and 1115 CE. Photographed in the 19th century. The top half collapsed in an earthquake in 1902. File:Mas'ud III b. Ibrahim minaret, Ghazni, built between 1099 and 1115 CE. Oscar von Niedermayer, 1916-1917.jpg, Mas'ud III's minaret, Ghazni, built between 1099 and 1115 CE. Photographed by Oscar von Niedermayer, 1916-1917 File:Mas'ud III's minaret (2010).jpg, Basis of Mas'ud III's minaret, with protective roofing (2010) File:Detail of the Intricate Brickwork on the Mas'ud III Tower.jpg, Detail of the Intricate Brickwork on the Mas'ud III Tower

Bahram Shah Minaret

's minaret was inspired by the minaret of his father, and built a few decades later (he ruled between 1117 to 1152), but is stylistically simpler. Minaret of Jam The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Afghanistan. It is located in a remote and nearly inaccessible region of the Shahrak District, Ghor Province, next to the Hari River. The or high minaret was built around 1190 entire ...

History

Threats

Gallery

Mas'ud III Minaret

Bahram Shah Minaret

References