The Jarkurgan Minaret

The Jarkurgan Minaret (1109 – 1110) stands in the village of Minar, Jarkurgan District. In the old days, nearby there was a cathedral mosque built of burnt brick. But it has not survived to our days. The base of the minaret is octagonal. A sixteen-sided body of the minaret decorated with figured brickwork rests on it/ archways are made at the height of 20 meters with a band of inscriptions in the kufic script above them. There are facets of stalactites over this band; however, the upper part of the minaret has not survived. Among the drawings made by the Russian explorer, N.N. Karazin, there are pictures of the Jarkurgan Minaret and the ruins of the nearby mosque (1879). The height of the minaret is 21,6 m, its width at the bottom is 5,4 m. the name of the master (Ali ibn Muhammad as-Sarakhsi) and the year of construction (fist read by V.A. Shishkin) are written on one the ribs. The inscriptions are placed on the minaret’s base facets and body as well as its upper part. The script used is kufic.

The Jarkurgan Minaret has been renovated and placed under state protection.