Jarkurgan Minaret: A Seljuk Mosque Tower in Uzbekistan
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Uzbekistan
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Seljuk
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Minaret
On this page8 sections
History
Jarkurgan minaret is an Islamic architectural monument in Uzbekistan, built in 1108–1109 during the rule of Sultan Sanjar. It stands in Minor village near Termez, in the southern part of the country, and follows the traditions of the Khorasan school of architecture. The monument is considered the only faceted minaret in Central Asia and is associated with the architectural traditions of Khorasan and northern India.
Construction under Sultan Sanjar
Sultan Sanjar ruled the Seljuk Empire across parts of Iran and Central Asia in the early twelfth century. During his reign, the minaret was erected beside a congregational mosque built of fired brick. The mosque has not survived, but a drawing made by N. N. Karazin in 1879 depicts both buildings in a ruined state.
The architect is identified as Ali ibn Muhammad Sarakhsi, also rendered as Muhammad bin Ali Al-Sarkhasi. An inscription at the base was read by V. A. Shishkin as giving the architect’s name and the date of construction. The tower’s design belongs to a regional tradition that connected the Khorasan school with related minaret forms in Khorasan and northern India.
Later history and preservation
The minaret has been repaired and is protected by the state as a cultural monument. Its survival preserves evidence of the former mosque complex and of an early twelfth-century approach to brick construction and monumental calligraphy.
Remains
The surviving tower
Faceted brick shaft
The surviving minaret is 21.6 meters high. It rises from an octagonal foundation, with a lower diameter of 5.4 meters and an upper diameter of 4.1 meters. Its shaft consists of 16 adjoining, wave-shaped brick ribs. These ribs follow a herringbone-like arrangement, standing slightly apart near the bottom and drawing together as they rise. The carefully laid brickwork gives the lower section a precise and refined appearance.
Inscriptions and upper structure
At about 20 meters above the ground, brick lattice arches form a zone beneath an epigraphic band. The band carries Kufic inscriptions, an early angular style of Arabic script used in monumental decoration, including Quranic text. The shaft originally had four raised inscription belts made from carefully trimmed bricks arranged in pairs. The upper belt contains an unfinished Quranic inscription, suggesting that another decorated band probably continued onto the lost upper part of the shaft. The original height is given as 40 meters, while the upper structure has disappeared and the lower section remains the best-preserved part.
Internal staircase and muezzin’s platform
An internal spiral staircase leads to a platform, or cage, intended for the muezzin, the person who traditionally recites the call to prayer. This platform originally stood approximately 16 to 18 meters above the ground. Together with the surviving ribs, arches, and inscription bands, the staircase provides evidence of the tower’s former religious function.
