Overview
Welcome to the second tallest brick building in the world
The Minaret of Jam is a graceful, 65-meter soaring structure that dates back to the 12th century. The Minaret stands alone between towering mountains in a deep and remote river valley in Ghor province. It is the second tallest brick building in the world and it now stands as the greatest surviving monument of the medieval Ghorid empire. It was built in 1194 for Sultan Ghiyasuddin, the grandest of the Ghorid rulers. It has a series of tapering cylindrical stories made entirely of fired brick and is built on an octagonal base. The elaborate brickwork has a Kufic inscription embedded in the stucco and is decorated with turquoise tiles. The Minaret is a genuine outstanding architectural masterpiece and represents exceptional artistic creativity and is a feat of structural engineering. No renovations or reconstruction have ever taken place in the area except for simple precautions to stabilize the base. It is Afghanistan's first UNESCO World Heritage site. Originally, it may have served as a landmark to guide caravans across Afghanistan or as a watch tower in times of war, and that is why the Mongols did not destroy it when they destroyed the lost city of Firuzkuh, the capital of the Ghorid dynasty. This imposing and lonely sentinel at the confluence of the Haji Rud and Jam Rud rivers remains a holy grail for many travelers to Afghanistan.
