Kalyan Minaret
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Name
250274_sv.jpg
Size
600.59 KB
Format
JPEG
Checksum (MD5)
e9e7c84ea2e60e54700cd249371c17fc
Creator(s)
Central Asian, Islamic, Uzbek
Time period
creation date: 1127-1129/521-523 AH
Location
Site: Bukhara (Uzbekistan)
Cultural context
Central Asian
Islamic
Uzbek
Description
general view, view south towards minaret, with mosque portal to right and madrasa to left, 1982
Rising 46 meters (150ft), the Kalyan minaret is the most prominent visual landmark within the city of Bukhara. Erected as part of a twelfth century mosque later replaced by the existing Kalyan mosque, the baked brick construction forms a thick, tapering cylindrical shaft capped by a rotunda with 16 arches. A multi-tiered muqarnas cornice crowns the entire structure. Baked brickwork decorates the shaft in bands of various, unrepeated patterns.
The minaret was not only used for the call to prayer, but also as a watchtower during periods of war. Tradition also relates that the condemned were in earlier times sentenced to a death on the stones beneath the minaret, after a fall from its heights.
The minaret was not only used for the call to prayer, but also as a watchtower during periods of war. Tradition also relates that the condemned were in earlier times sentenced to a death on the stones beneath the minaret, after a fall from its heights.
Work type
Minaret
Medium
brick
Type
Image
Rights
(c) 1984 Walter Denny
Access rights
All rights reserved
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