The Minaret of Jam is the Afghan minaret completed around 1190 and famous for intricate brick decoration and great height.
The monument stands in a remote valley where the Hari and Jam rivers meet in Ghor Province, Afghanistan. It is about 65 metres tall and was built during the Ghurid period. A surviving inscription links its construction to Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad, whose reign lasted from 1163 to 1203.
Its shaft is made of fired brick and divided into decorative bands. These include geometric patterns, Kufic inscriptions, and glazed turquoise tiles. The structure tapers upward and has a complex internal stairway, while its setting beside steep mountains makes it especially dramatic.
The Minaret of Jam is not the same as Delhi’s Qutb Minar, although both belong to the wider tradition of monumental Islamic minarets. The Afghan monument is also associated with the vanished Ghurid capital of Firuzkuh, believed to have been nearby. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 2002.