The Kalyan Minaret

The Kalyan Minaret was built twice. The first attempt collapsed before completion, likely due to the soft ground beneath the city, which consists of many cultural layers. A more durable foundation was laid, and by 1127, the construction of the second minaret was completed. Contemporary accounts praised the minaret’s beauty, noting that «there was nothing like this minaret, for it was built very beautifully.» Standing at 48 meters tall, the Kalyan Minaret is a flawless example of both civil engineering and superior architectural creation. The baked bricks used in its construction form a monolithic circular tower that narrows from its thick base to its top.

The body of the minaret is topped by a rotunda with 16 arched fenestrations, from which the muezzins called the faithful to prayer. In times of siege or war, the minaret also served as a watchtower. Originally, the minaret had another round section above the rotunda, but now only the cone-shaped top remains. The baked bricks are the main feature of its architectural design, with the body of the minaret belted with narrow ornamental strings made of bricks arranged in a chessboard pattern, either straight or diagonally. A frieze with inscriptions encircles the minaret upon a muqarnas (stalactite) cornice, covered with blue glaze, which was widely used in the architectural decor of Bukhara at that time.