Kalan Minaret
Date:
1127–29
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Uzbekistan
Description:
Around 1121–22, a mosque and minaret were built in Bukhara (Uzbekistan) with support from the Qarakhanid ruler Arslan Khan Muhammad II (r. 1102–29). The minaret collapsed onto the mosque, prompting the construction of the new minaret. It stands 45.6 meters tall and has a 9-meter diameter base. Bricks arranged in geometric patterns ornament the tapering cylindrical shaft. Above and below the lantern are tiers of muqarnas. An inscription at the bottom gives 1127 as the start date of construction, and another at the top, rendered in blue glazed tile, gives 1129 as the date of completion. On the inside is a brick spiral staircase. The mosque itself has a four-iwan courtyard and in its current form dates to around 1430. The third building in the current Pa-i Kalan complex is a sixteenth-century madrasa.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
7
Image Credits:
Linda Safran, Wikimedia Commons
Tags:
Central Asian,
Islamic,
Islamicate,
Status and identity,
Arabic
