Ghazni Minarets

Ghazni Minarets
	Mas'ud III's minaret was at least 44 meters tall, before its cylindrical top half crumbled following an earthquake in 1902. It was built between 1099 and 1115 CE (photographic reconstruction).
	Ghazni Location in Afghanistan Ghazni Ghazni (West and Central Asia)
Alternative name	Mas'ud III Minaret & Bahram Shah Minaret
Location	Ghazni, Afghanistan
Region	Ghazni Province
Coordinates	33°33′52.4″N 68°26′01.8″E / 33.564556°N 68.433833°E
Type	Minaret
Height	20 m (66 ft)
History
Builder	Masud III, Bahram-Shah of Ghazna
Material	Bricks
Founded	12th century
Site notes
Condition	Endangered

The Ghazni Minarets are two elaborately decorated minaret towers located in Ghazni city, central Afghanistan. They were built in middle of the twelfth century and are the only surviving elements of the mosque of Bahram Shah.^[3] The two minarets are 600 meters (1968 feet) apart and lie in an open plain, north-east of Ghazni city.^[4]

The minarets had a height of 44 meters in the 19th century, before the top half of both minarets crumbled in an earthquake in 1902.^[1] Now the minarets are about 20 meters high. Both minarets of Ghazni are 20 metres (66 feet)^[5] tall and built of fired mud brick. The surface of the towers are decorated beautifully with intricate geometric patterns and Qurunic verses on elaborate terracotta tiles. In the 1960s, both towers were fitted with sheet metal roofs in a limited preservation effort.^[3]^[5]

The ruins of the Palace of Sultan Mas'ud III are located near Mas'ud III's minaret.

^ ^a ^b Ralph Pinder-Wilson (2001) Ghaznavid and Ghūrid Minarets, Iran, 39:1, 155-186, DOI: 10.1080/05786967.2001.11834389
^ Cite error: The named reference ab was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b C.E. Bosworth, The Later Ghaznavids, (Columbia University Press, 1977), 115.
^ "Ghazni Towers Documentation Project: History". eca.state.gov. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Ghazni Minarets". wmf.org. World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

[RPW-1] Ralph Pinder-Wilson (2001) Ghaznavid and Ghūrid Minarets, Iran, 39:1, 155-186, DOI: 10.1080/05786967.2001.11834389

[ab-2] Cite error: The named reference ab was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[LaterGhaznavidsBook-3] C.E. Bosworth, The Later Ghaznavids, (Columbia University Press, 1977), 115.

[:0-4] "Ghazni Towers Documentation Project: History". eca.state.gov. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

[aa-5] "Ghazni Minarets". wmf.org. World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

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History
Mas'ud III's minaret was at least 44 meters tall, before its cylindrical top half crumbled following an earthquake in 1902. It was built between 1099 and 1115 CE (photographic reconstruction).^[1]
Ghazni Location in Afghanistan Show map of Afghanistan Ghazni Ghazni (West and Central Asia) Show map of West and Central Asia
Alternative name	Mas'ud III Minaret & Bahram Shah Minaret^[2]
Location	Ghazni, Afghanistan
Region	Ghazni Province
Coordinates	33°33′52.4″N 68°26′01.8″E / 33.564556°N 68.433833°E / 33.564556; 68.433833
Type	Minaret
Height	20 m (66 ft)
Builder	Masud III, Bahram-Shah of Ghazna
Material	Bricks
Founded	12th century
Site notes
Condition	Endangered