Minaret of Jam
Afghanistan · Ghor · 1900 m
Description
The minaret of Jam stands sixty-five metres high in an empty river gorge in the mountains of Ghor, four hundred kilometres from anywhere, and it has been leaning for centuries. It was raised in 1190 for the Ghurid sultans, covered head to foot in geometric brickwork and glazed tile, and it is almost certainly all that is left of their lost summer capital Firuzkuh. UNESCO listed it in 2002 as the first Afghan site and put it on the danger list the same year. Getting there takes two days of unpaved road from Herat. Illegal digging around the base has been part of the danger listing from the start.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 1 day)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – June or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- The minaret and its brickwork
- Kufic inscription band around the shaft
- Drive in through the Ghor mountains(Multi-day trip)
- Hari river gorge below the tower
- Jewish cemetery stones on the hillside
- Remains of the Ghurid fortifications
- Lean of the tower after eight centuries
- Nomad camps in the summer pastures