SPACH Photo Catalogue of Major Priority Sites and Monuments:

Provinces:

Badakhshan Badghis
Baghlan
Balkh
Bamyan
Farah
Faryab
Ghazni
Ghor
Herat
Helmand
Jawzjan
Kabul
Kandahar
Kapisa
Khost
Kunar
Kunduz
Laghman
Logar
Nangarhar
Nimroz
Nuristan
Paktika
Paktya
Parwan
Samangan
Sari Pul
Takhar
Uruzgan
Wardak
Zabu
l

GHOR

" JAM

LOCATION: Ghūr Province. On the Hari R
ūd between Kaminj and Ahangarān, where it is joined from the south by the Jam Rūd.

DATE:  Ghurid, 12th C. (Ceramic, epigraphic, stylistic)..

DESCRIPTION:
A minaret or victory tower, probably marking the site of the Ghurid capital of Firuzkuh. It stands 65 m high and has a diameter of 9 m at its base. It is made up of four tapering cylindrical shafts on an octagonal base, with a double spiral staircase inside. The ouside is completely covered in decorative brickwork, except for one band of blue tile inscription near the top. On the hill of Kushkak between Jam village and the minaret are some Hebrew inscriptions dated 1153-1203. To the south of the river are mud-brick watch-towers forming a fortification line. Another fortress with a stone reservoir lies on the north side of the river. There are several more mud remains in the immediate vicinity, including a possible bazar nand mosque, both to the east and west of the minaret."

From Ball, W. Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan, Paris, 1982, p. 133

CONDITION: Foundations theatened by floods of the Harirud and the Jam rivers. Protection gabion walls built by SPACH in 2000 and 2001. The Swiss Government made a 130,000$ contribution for its conservation in 2003. UNESCO is the implementing agency.

 
GHOR (JAM)
 
Minaret of Jam Minaret of Jam Minaret of Jam Minaret of Jam Minaret of Jam Minaret of Jam Minaret of Jam Minaret of Jam Minaret of Jam Khwaja Akasha