Jam minaret (Minar of Jam) was built in the XII century on the territory of present-day Afghanistan in the ancient city of Firuzkuh. Due to constant military conflicts and the inaccessibility of the places where it is located, very few people can boast that they saw it with their own eyes. Lost in the Mountains This architectural monument is hidden in the mountains of northwestern Afghanistan. More precisely, 10 km northeast of the Jam village in the Ghor province, in the place where the Jamrud stream flows into the Gerirud river. It is a well-preserved 12th-century minaret, 65 meters high, and the second tallest historical monument among the baked brick minarets after the Qutub Minar in Delhi.
Archaeologists suggest that the Jam minaret is the only surviving building of the city of Firuzkukh - the capital of the Gurid dynasty, which existed in 1148 -1206. and at its peak controlled a vast area from the city of Nishapur in eastern Iran to the Bay of Bengal in India.
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The minaret was opened in 1886 during the work of the Russian-Afghan border commission, which was headed by the English Colonel Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich. In 1943, the governor of Herat, Abdullah Khan Malekar, took the first photographs of the minaret and reported it to the Afghan Historical Society. A year later, the first publication about this ancient monument appeared in the Anis magazine. The first modern Europeans to reach the minaret in August 1957 was the French archaeologist André Maric, and published a report in the Notes of the French Delegation in Afghanistan.
In 1960, two representatives of the French archaeological delegation in Afghanistan - Le Ber and his assistant Marshal - photographed the decorative panels of the minaret and carried out an initial study of its architectural structure and discovered the entrance to the minaret. From 1961 to 1969 the minaret was examined by the Italian architect Andrea Bruno, who proposed a plan to strengthen the monument, which was threatened with collapse, and also opened the ruins of a palace, military fortifications, a Muslim and Jewish cemetery, which preserved inscriptions in Hebrew.
However, the inaccessibility of the monument and the unstable political situation in Afghanistan, periodically flaring up hostilities, did not allow serious archaeological research of the Jam minaret. At the same time, earthquakes that often occur in this area, floods that undermine the foundation of the monument, and illegal excavations by "black" archaeologists looking for value, threaten the preservation of the architectural monument.
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The Jam minaret is one of the few well-preserved monuments that represent an example of the artistic creativity and skill of the construction technique of that time. The minaret, 65m high and 9m in diameter, in an octagonal base, is made of fired bricks, tied together with lime mortar.
The wide lower base of the minaret has strong thick walls, which are wrapped by two spiral staircases in the center, rising to a height of 38m, where the balcony used to be. The minaret is graceful and seems to float in the air. Almost all of its surface is covered with patterns, and the top is decorated with blue terracotta tiles.
This architectural monument and the adjacent unexplored site were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002: the minaret, with its innovative architecture and decoration, played a significant role in the development of art and architecture not only in the Indian subcontinent, but also beyond its borders. Also, the Jam minaret and related archaeological sites are an exceptional testimony to the strength and quality of the Gurid civilization, which dominated the region in the XII-XIII centuries.
In addition, the minaret is an outstanding example of Islamic architecture and ornamentation in the region. Experts recognize it as a true architectural and decorative masterpiece. To the north of the minaret, high on the cliff, you can see the remains of the castles and towers of the ancient city, on the east side of the minaret the remains of fortifications were found, which gives the impression that it was not surrounded by a settlement, but by a military camp. On the eastern side of the minaret, you can see the name of the architect - Ali ibn Ibrahim Nishapur.
Due to the inaccessibility of the area in which the Jam minaret is located, and the turbulent military situation, only a handful of brave scientists dared to visit those places and conduct research. In 2003, a group of Western archaeologists, supported by the Afghan National Institute of Archeology and UNESCO, tried to assess the impact of the planned construction of roads and bridges on the site. Scientists then discovered and excavated about a dozen trenches, which were left behind by hunters for ancient treasures.
It turned out that the "black" archaeologists in search of archaeological values even broke through brick walls in the bedrock in the hope of getting to the dungeons! During the exploration, archaeologists discovered large stone walls located perpendicular to the slopes of the mountains, and smaller walls parallel to the slope of the mountain. These structures indicate that the buildings in the ancient city were located on the slope of terraces, walls covered with multi-colored plaster were also discovered - apparently the remains of dwellings.
At 90m from the minaret in a pit, once dug by a treasure hunter, scientists came across a sidewalk lined with baked bricks, but the masonry was similar to that which can be seen in the Palaces of the Ghaznavid Empire. Presumably, these are the remains of the Friday mosque of the city, about which the chronicler Guridov writes that it was washed away by a flood shortly before 1200. At the same time, scientists found signs that the mosque, near which the Jama minaret itself stood, was of a very modest size, disproportionate to the height minaret.
During an expedition in 2005, archaeologists have already armed themselves with detailed satellite imagery of the area. Then it was decided to assess the scale of the damage caused by the "black" archaeologists, but this work turned out to be so overwhelming that only a narrow strip of terrain 50 m wide and 225 m long was chosen for research. By the end of the season, archaeologists in this area alone had found 121 pits drilled by treasure hunters. The scale of the work of "black" archaeologists was amazing - 11% of the territory was covered with pits, while usually robbers can shovel only 2-3%, and then - within several seasons. If they returned to these places again and again, then, obviously, there was something. One can only imagine how much interesting and valuable for science was simply stolen and sold on the black market!However, the biggest misfortune for the Jam minaret was the indifference of local residents - illiterate Afghans have not learned to appreciate such historical monuments, even if they are a national treasure.
During the excavations, scientists discovered courtyards paved with baked bricks, which, apparently, were located near public buildings, the remains of a fortress that protected the approaches to the city from the east, as well as a large water cistern, located 400m above the Jama minaret. This artificial reservoir measuring 8.2 * 4.95 m and a depth of more than 4.5 m, surrounded by one meter thick walls, contained at least 85 tons of water and was built to collect snow and ice to provide residents of Firuzkuh with cold water in the summer.
However, scientists did not limit themselves to field research. Archaeological samples were taken to Europe for a deeper study, according to the results of which one can get at least an approximate idea of how the inhabitants of the ancient city lived 800 years ago: what they ate, what they raised and what animals were bred, what crafts they did and what technologies they mastered. and also with which countries they traded. This bore fruit: for example, botanists found that the inhabitants of Firuzkukh cultivated barley and wheat, chickpeas and lentils, as well as grapes, figs, apples, pears and pistachios. A study of the shards showed that the dishes made in Jama contained motives of Eastern and Western traditions, in particular, Iran and China.
Today in Afghanistan, hardly anyone dares to go on a journey, even if his goal is to see a rare gem of architecture and history. However, daredevils are still there. Architectural historian Den Kruikshenk, who was in Jama with an Air Force crew in 2007, described his trip and the experience: “After ten years of unsuccessful attempts to make this trip, I can finally see one of the architectural wonders of the world. I have been on the road for 14 hours, we are moving along off-road and rocky channels. Suddenly, through a crack in the overhanging rock, for a moment I saw the minaret itself! It is so far from civilization that rumors of its existence reached the West only in 1944 …
The trip to the Jam minaret is considered too dangerous - kidnapping by bandits or local rebels is not uncommon here. Therefore, you need to carefully prepare and behave carefully. Our journey was challenging, arduous, but amazing. When we finally arrived in Herat from Kabul, we had to obtain many different permits from the Afghan authorities, as well as inform the military about our plans. The chief of police took us under his personal protection and gave us 60 policemen to accompany us.
Such an "escort" was flattering and was more than we expected, but it was necessary, because in Afghanistan the police are a target for militants. We also met with representatives of the Italian army responsible for security in the provinces of Herat and Gore - they were amazed at our audacity, since they themselves never sent patrols to Jam. Indeed, none of the Afghans we met in Herat had ever been there! We succeeded and it was worth it. The surface of the minaret is covered with virtuoso brickwork … Inside the minaret, I found two spiral staircases that climbed upward, winding around each other. Surprisingly, this solid structure, combined with thin brickwork, has survived despite earthquakes and neglect.
The inscriptions on the minaret and archaeological finds convincingly indicate that Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in the city. There is a Jewish cemetery next to the minaret, which is further proof that people of different religions lived peacefully.
This lost city was a stronghold of medieval tolerance. While we were filming the video, the police became more and more nervous for fear of an armed raid, so we had to leave much earlier than we wanted."
Inside the tower there are two spiral staircases leading to the first level balcony. From here, through narrow windows, an amazing view of the valley opens. But it is also interesting that the stairs lead down somewhere. According to the legend of local residents, the Djam minaret used to be connected with an underground tunnel located on the other side of the Gerirud river and the palace. Belief in this legend is reinforced by the fact that no entrance to the minaret was found. Now his role is played by a passage that has already been punched in our time, so that the underground tunnels could really exist.
The origin of the tower is also controversial. Some believe that it was built in the Gurid capital, Firuzkuha. The theory is confirmed by the name of one of the local tribes - "Firuzkuhi". But this seemingly wonderful hypothesis has its drawbacks. The area of the terrain, an inaccessible region, the absence of worthy archaeological sites found cannot but make one doubt that it was here that an ancient large city was located.
Some people think that the minaret was not at all such, but was just a tower, similar to the memorial arches and columns erected in the Roman Empire. Perhaps Jam perpetuates the consolidation of Islam in this area. The meaning of the text of the Koran written here, which threatens the unbelievers and praises anyone who turns to the path of Muhammad, fits this theory.
Another interesting find from 1962 was stones with carved inscriptions scattered around the area. Most likely, they testify to a cemetery that was located here earlier, and therefore to the Muslim community.
So the Jam minaret stands to this day in splendid isolation, keeping the secrets of the Gurids. With each new find, researchers face new challenges, but perhaps someday a series of these mysteries will reveal the meaning of the message of the ancients.