If the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) do not take necessary steps towards renovation and protection of Ghor’s Jam minaret, with the arrival of coming winter and rainfalls the minaret will fall to the ground.
The 65m-tall Minaret of Jam is a graceful, soaring structure, dating back to the 12th century. Covered in elaborate brickwork with a blue tile inscription at the top, it is noteworthy for the quality of its architecture and decoration, which represent the culmination of an architectural and artistic tradition in this region. Its impact is heightened by its dramatic setting, a deep river valley between towering mountains in the heart of the Ghor province.
Local officials of the information and culture department for Ghor have told The Kabul Times correspondent that currently most parts and stones of the historic minaret have been damaged, all steps and protective walls surrounding the minaret have been destructed and the minaret has inclined to one side.
According to the local officials, there’s no budget for the restoration and renovation of the minaret. The local officials are asking UNESCO to take necessary steps toward the protection of minaret.
The Minaret of Jam is one of the few well-preserved monuments representing the exceptional artistic creativity and mastery of structural engineering of the time. Its architecture and ornamentation are outstanding from the point of view of art history, fusing together elements from earlier developments in the region in an exceptional way and exerting a strong influence on later architecture in the region.
A civil society activist Bano Begam in Ghor has said they are extremely worried about the collapse and fall of the world’s largest clay minaret due to floods, storms and heavy rains.
“Unfortunately, no considerable attention has been paid to the protection and renovation of the minaret in the past 20 years as the historical structure is located in a deprived province in the west of Afghanistan,” Mrs. Begam added.
She asserted that all civil activists and researchers in Ghor are asking the UNESCO and relevant organizations to take all necessary measures for the protection and restoration of the minaret, or most parts of the minaret will collapse and fall to the ground with the arrival of winter and rainfalls
According to local officials and cultural figures, the previous government used to promise to restore and take necessary steps towards the renovation of the country’s historical minarets and sites, especially the Minaret of Jam but it never came true. They say now it is necessary that urgent and necessary steps should be taken for the restoration and protection of the minaret.
Saida Ahmadi
Minaret of Jam; a historic monument in Afghanistan
