The Mudhafaria Minaret () is a

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

located in the new Minare Park on the west region of

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

, in the

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

History

The minaret was built between and by the Turkoman prince of

, during the reign of Salahadin, Muzaffar Al-Din Abu Sa’eed Al-Gawkaboori (

Gökböri Gökböri, or Muzaffar ad-Din Gökböri, was a leading emir and general of Sultan Saladin (Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb), and ruler of Erbil. He served both the Zengid dynasty, Zengid and Ayyubid dynasty, Ayyubid rulers of Syria (region) ...

) who had entered in the obedience of Salahadin without war and married his sister.

Architecture

The minaret is high and is composed of a high octagonal base and a tall cylindrical shaft, with a balcony located between the base and the shaft. This design was typical for mosques built during the reign of the

Ayyubid The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egyp ...

Kurdish Empire. It is believed that the minaret is the only remnant of a mosque, since destroyed. It is built of baked bricks, the base being decorated with two tiers of niches with pointed arches, two on each of the eight faces that are inscribed in rectangular frames. The balcony parapet is carved with twenty-four small niches, the access door to the minaret steps is on the eastern side of the octagonal base and leads top to the balcony. From there a small door gives access to steps inside the cylindrical shaft that led to the second balcony now collapsed. The shaft tapers inward and is decorated with several bands of interlocking diagonal Hazar-Baf motifs that are separated with thin bands. Examples of

Kufi A kufi or kufi cap is a brimless, short, and rounded cap worn by men in many populations in North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. It is also worn by men throughout the African diaspora. The cap has strong ass ...

calligraphy can be seen, showing the names of Muhammad and Mas'oudi Muhammadi, the builders of the minaret.

References

External links

13th-century religious buildings and structures in Asia Buildings and structures completed in 1232 Buildings and structures in Erbil Minarets in Iraq Octagonal buildings in Iraq Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1230s Tourist attractions in Iraqi Kurdistan Towers completed in the 13th century {{iraq-mosque-stub