Ghazni city, also know as the Ghaznai or Ghazna, located in center of Afghanistan with population density of around 250,000 people. This city is located between the Kabul and southern Afghanistan main highway.
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| Ghazni City History |
History of Ghazni
Ghazni has had a turbulent, fascinating and complex history that has been at the centre point of many of the main political, military and artistic exchanges in the region for centuries.Thought to have been first founded in 1500 BCE as mentioned by Ptolemy (the Famous Roman mathematician, geographer and astronomer). It became part of the Persian Empire in the 6th century BCE. Before Islam came to the region(probably In the 9th century CE but earlier in other parts).
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| Minarets of Bahram Shah |
The Minarets (or Victory Tower) of Bahram Shah and Mas'ud III
These are probably the most recognised Ghaznavid structures in the province and are also known all over the country as a symbol of Ghazni, and throughout the world. Many of you will certainly have seen them in photos or pictures or even have visited them. Many historic photos exist of these two minarets (or 'Victory towers' some people suggest) and we can also see how they have changed over the years. What we see today is actually only the lower part of the minarets and are about 20 m high (the pointed roofs are quite recent), and a thinner, taller section would have been built on top of the wider lower section — making the minarets maybe twice the height of what survives in 2011. It is possible that if they were minarets rather than victory towers then they would have small mosques adjacent.
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| Upper Part of Minarets |
The Minaret of Mas’ud III was probably built sometime earlier than the other minaret (maybe between 1099 and 1115). The surviving lower part of the building has a famous 8-sided shape and is about 8m wide at its base, all built of baked bricks and has a staircase inside that has now mostly collapsed, with many of the steps missing. However the main feature of the minaret (apart from its unusual star-shape) is the artistic carving of the brickwork on the sides of the minaret that can be seen still in 8 different sections containing a mixture of shapes and designs that include Kufic inscriptions (this is an ancient type of writing) with star patterns and 8 sections of square panels again with kufic inscriptions made from brick and terracotta (another type of ceramic). The panels are one of the most important aspects of the structure and contain the names of Mas’ud and the Prophet. Four of the panels contain images of flowers, complex interlinked geometric shapes and the ‘Victory' sura from the Quran (Sura al-Fath 48).
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| Recent view of Minarets of Ghazni |
All of these brick decorations on the sides of the minarets may have been constructed elsewhere and then attached afterwards, which was easier to do. The upper part of the minaret was last seen in 1880 (and is recorded in a photograph and some drawings from that time), but collapsed during an earthquake in the area in 1902. The minaret of Bahram Shah (the sun of Mas'ud) is also a wonderful example of Ghaznavid architecture and was probably built between 1118 — 1152 to commemorate his life and achievements. Recent research by archaeologists has suggested there may be the foundations of a third minaret surviving in the area, although this is yet to be confirmed.
