List of oldest minarets

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This article lists some but by no means all of the oldest known minaret towers in the world.

Contents

The oldest minaret still surviving is that of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia. [1] [2] It was constructed in 836 AD [3] and is considered as the prototype for all the square shaped minarets built in the Western Muslim World. [3]

Most ancient, surviving minarets were constructed adjacent to a mosque, for the Muslim call to prayer (Adhan) five times each day by a muezzin (crier). [4] A few minarets were built as watchtowers, landmarks or symbols of victory or glory of a Muslim Khanate or empire. In some instances, like the Minaret of Jam only the minaret tower survives today while the adjoining mosques and other structures were destroyed over time by nature and invaders.

List of oldest minarets

This list ranks the oldest surviving minarets in the world. Only minarets built before 1900 AD. are included.

NameImageLocationCountryRegionHeight (m)Height (ft)Year BuiltStatusNotesRef.
Great Mosque of Kairouan Minaret Minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia.jpg Kairouan Tunisia North Africa31.5103836Preserved [3]
Great Mosque of Samarra Minaret Samara spiralovity minaret rijen1973.jpg Samarra Iraq Western Asia 52171851Preserved
Kutlug Timur Minaret Kutlug Timur minaret.JPG Konye-Urgench Turkmenistan Central Asia 60+1971011Believed to be the tallest of the ancient minarets in Central Asia. Dome was destroyed in 1221 by Mongols. Only 60 meters remain. [5] [5]
Burana Tower Burana tower 2009.jpg Chuy Valley Kyrgyzstan Central Asia 258211th CenturyPreservedOriginally 45 metres tall. Top destroyed by earthquake in 15th century. [6] [6]
Uzgen Minaret Uzgen Minaret.jpg Uzgen Kyrgyzstan Central Asia 27.59011th centuryPreserved [7]
Ali minaret Ali Minaret.jpg Isfahan Iran Western Asia 52-54171-17711th-12th CenturypreservedFormerly built for a Seljuk-era mosque, now attached to a Safavid-era mosque. [8] [8]
Ghazni Minarets Ghazni-Minaret.jpg Ghazni Afghanistan South Asia 206512th centuryEndangered2 minaret towers. Upper portion of tower lost to earthquake in 1902 [9] [9]
Jarkurgan minaret Jarkurgan Uzbekistan Central Asia 21.6711108 [10] [11]
Khosrogerd Minaret mnrh khsrwjrd.jpg Sabzevar Iran Western Asia 30981112
Kalyan minaret Bukhara01.jpg Bukhara Uzbekistan Central Asia 45.61501127Preserved [12]
Minaret of Jam Minaret of jam 2009 ghor.jpg Shahrak District Afghanistan South Asia 652131194 [13] EndangeredIn UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger [14] [13]
Kutubiyya Mosque Minaret Marokko0112 (retouched).jpg Marrakesh Morocco North Africa772531195Preserved
Qutub Minar At Qutub minar, New Delhi 05.JPG Delhi India South Asia 72.52381311PreservedTallest minaret made of bricks(marble and red sandstone). [15] [16]
5 Musalla Minarets of Herat Herat Remains of Musallah complex.jpg Herat Afghanistan South Asia 551801417EndangeredOnly 5 of original 20 minarets remain. [10] [17]
Menara Kudus Mosque Minaret Masjid Menara Kudus.jpg Kudus Regency Indonesia Southeast Asia 18591549 [18]
Great Mosque of Banten Minaret MENARA MASJID AGUNG BANTEN.jpg Serang IndonesiaSoutheast Asia24781632 [19]
Eger minaret Minaret - Eger, 2013.JPG Eger Hungary Central Europe 4013117th centuryPreservedOne of three surviving minarets of Ottoman rule in Hungary. [20]
Hiran Minar SheikhupuraPakistanAsia11033017th centuryEndangeredMughal Empire

See also

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References

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