GHOR (SW): Officials at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said their survey of the Minaret of Jam has been completed and soon the renovation work of the Minaret will start. The government of Afghanistan will pay the cost of the renovation.
Sarah Nusrati, Director of Afghan National Program for Culture and Creative Economy at the UNESCO told Salam Watandar that while external experts are ready to participate in the reconstruction of the Jam Minaret, however, they will be working with the Afghan universities, especially the University of Herat, to rebuild and renovate the Minaret.
According to Nusrati, the Minaret of Jam has not been renovated by any individual or institutions so far, but only the protective walls had been built to protect the Minaret from the danger of Hari River’s flooding during the summer.
'Illegal extraction of ancient valuable pieces, the flooding and buildup of water around the Minaret because of proximity to the Hari River are the main reasons that put the Minaret in danger of erosion over time', Nusrati added.
Nusrati informed that although there is no real threat now, however, most of the decorative tiles have been destroyed, so the UNESCO is going to rebuild and renovate the stairs, and the ceiling of the Minaret.
Meanwhile, Fakhrudin Ariapur, the head of the Ghor Information and Culture Directorate told Salam Watandar that the Minaret is not in good condition, and as per expert’s view, over time the main structure of the Minaret have lost its resistance to wind and rain.
According to Ariapur, if the Minaret of Jam is not reconstructed and rebuild soon, it will likely crumble within the next five years.
The Minaret of Jam in Ghor province had been built in the 12th century by the Ghurids or Ghorids dynasty and bears great cultural significance; however, parts of this monument were destroyed as a result of the multiple wars and due to the iellgal extration of the ancient and cultural monuments from nearby; it has also lost its resistance to natural disasters – decaying for years.
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