AFGHANISTAN Ghor Province 12th Century Minaret of Jam with Qasr Zarafshan in the background
Discovered by archaeologists in 1957 but was its first sighting was announced by the Governer of Herat in 1943 An inscription round the Minaret confirms it was built by the Ghurid ruler Sultan Ghiyath ad Din in the year 590 Hejira 1193 3 CE Pinder Wilson 2001 Has Kufic script and verses of the Koran on the exterior and inside is a double spiral staircase At 65 metres high it is the second highest minaret in the world after Qutb Minar in Delhi Situated at the confluence of the Hari Rud and Jam Rud rivers in an isolated valley renown for Bandits became a World Heritage site in 2002 Scholars generally agree that Jam is ancient Firuzkuh the summer capital of thee Ghurid empire
Size: 5279px × 3518px
Photo credit: © Jane Sweeney / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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