Kabul, Afghanistan: An 800-year-old minaret considered one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Afghanistan was damaged by two earthquakes this week and is in danger of collapse, an official has said.
The Minaret of Jam, a UNESCO world heritage monument in the central province of Ghor, was in desperate need of repair even before the quakes on 17 January, 2022, but provincial official Abdul Hai Zaeem told AFP the 65-metre (213-foot) structure had weakened further.1
The twin quakes on 17 January, 2022, killed at least 22 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in western Badghis province, with the tremors felt across the country.
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Archeologists backed by UNESCO have tried previously to repair the minaret, but its remote location – in the heart of territory controlled by the Taliban even before they took power in August 2021 – meant security was always an issue.
The last UNESCO mission to the site was in 2019 and at that time they said it faced no risk of collapse.
Last year, agency head Audrey Azoulay called on the Taliban to help preserve Afghanistan's cultural heritage, including the minaret.
Shortly before their first stint in power came to an end in 2001, the Taliban destroyed two giant centuries-old Buddha statues carved out of a cliff face in Bamiyan, sparking global outrage.
They have promised a softer version of rule this time around, and Taliban fighters now guard what remains of the statues.
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- 1. "Some of the bricks have come off and the minaret itself has tilted more," Zaeem, head of Ghor's information and culture department, said late on 19 January, 2022. "If proper attention is not given, it is possible that the minaret will collapse."