Musalla Minarets of Herat

The minarets are each 55 meters tall and resemble crooked chimneys of an old factory.[3] The current minarets in Herat are the remains of 20 minarets of the former Musalla Complex.

Nine towers survived the events of 1885, but the explosions had weakened them structurally, and they remained neglected over the next few years due to an unsettled political situation. No repairs or restorations were undertaken, and over time, four more towers collapsed due to structural weaknesses, earthquake and sheer decrepitude.[3] Only five of the original twenty minarets survive today.

Musalla Minarets of Herat were built for the Musalla complex by Queen Gawhar Shad in 1417.[3] The complex became an architectural masterpiece of the Islamic world. It was a huge spread of magnificent Islamic religious buildings consisting of a large mosque, Madrassa religious school and mausoleum buildings. The whole complex included 20 minarets which were adorned with tiled surfaces of beautiful intricate patterns and designs.[3][4]

In 1885, conflicting tensions between the British and Russian Empires has come to a head at the Panjdeh incident. During the incident, British engineers dynamited the complex to prevent the advancing Russians from using it for cover. Ultimately the crisis was resolved, and fighting never broke out, making the destruction unnecessary.[4][5] Nine minarets and two mausoleums were spared destruction. However, an earthquake in 1932 destroyed two more minarets.[6] Another minaret fell in another earthquake in 1951.[3] The five ruined Musalla Minarets of Herat and two mausoleums are the only remnants today of a once magnificent architectural complex.[4]

In 2001, the Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage (SPACH) repaired the only remaining minaret, and built protective walls around the Gawhar Shad Mausoleum and Sultan Husain Madrasa.[6] The mausoleum garden was also replanted.[6] In 2020, the Aga Khan Development Network made a pledge to the President of Afghanistan to restore an ancient minaret at risk of collapse.[7][8] This work is being completed through the work of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.[9][10][11]

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  Traffic passing on road near the Herat minarets, 2005.
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  The 2 mausoleums with the minarets, July 2001.
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  Herat skyline with Musallah minarets,2009
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  Herat skyline with minarets in 1969.
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  Musalla complex — 15th-century Timurid style complex of Islamic structures, 1962
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  5 remaining minarets,1939-1940.
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  Minarets in 1939–1940.
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  Kids rest near a minaret by Annemarie Schwarzenbach, 1939.

• Minaret of Jam
• Ghazni Minarets
• Musalla Complex of Herat, which included these minarets plus other examples of Timurid architecture