Ghor Minaret; Afghanistan’s oldest monument on the verge of collapse

According to Fars News Agency’s Afghanistan website, the “Minaret of Jam” has been standing by the Harirod River in Ghor province for hundreds of years; Afghanistan’s oldest monument has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and now, after years of indifference by government officials and cultural heritage agencies, the minaret is in dire straits. He will soon see the collapse of the Cup Minaret.

Maulvi Abdul Hai, head of the Information and Culture Department of Ghor province, told Fars News Agency’s Afghanistan website: “Jam Minaret, which is one of the most famous historical monuments in the world, is located among high mountains and 70 km from the center of Ghor province, although it is a brick minaret.” It is registered with the World Heritage Organization or UNESCO, but is neither supported by the government nor by a foreign organization.

He added: “Currently, most of the historical tiles have been thrown in the body of this minaret and all the stairs and citation walls around it have been destroyed and the height of this minaret has been tilted.”

Abdul Hai continued: “Currently, there is no budget at the disposal of this office to start repairing the Minaret of the Cup, and UNESCO should act as soon as possible before its collapse.”

On the other hand, Hassan Hakimi, a civil activist in Ghor, said: “We are deeply concerned about the collapse of the world’s largest brick minaret due to floods, storms and heavy rains;” Unfortunately, because this important historical monument is located in a deprived province in western Afghanistan, no attention has been paid by the authorities during the last 20 years.

He added that all civil society activists in Ghor are urging cultural heritage supporters to take action as soon as possible to repair and prevent the collapse of the Cup Minaret as winter approaches and there is a serious risk of floods and severe storms.

Nazar Mohammad Saqib, an expert on cultural affairs in Ghor, said: “Unfortunately in Ghor, officials of the previous government have repeatedly promised to restore and take care of historical monuments, especially the Minaret, but it has never come true. Protection and restoration With the arrival of the new government, all the focus will be on the protection of historical monuments, because with their destruction and collapse, the rich culture and history of the people of Ghor, especially Afghanistan, will be destroyed.

It is worth mentioning that Jam Minaret is 65 meters high and this historical monument was built during the reign of Sultan Ghiasuddin Ghori in Ghor province. This minaret is located on the Herat-Ghor highway in Shahrak city. And the heavy rains have tilted its stature.

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