Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
AT News
KABUL: The world famous minaret of Jam is in danger of collapse since the nearby river’s water has started overflowing.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site built in 1190 in the remote and mountainous province of Ghor.
The minaret is located in the bank of the Hari river in the district of Shahrak and parts of its walls were damaged by heavy floods in the past two years.
Both the government and the UNESCO have promised for the reconstruction and consolidation of the minaret, but the promises are still on the paper.
“We can’t do anything without the permission of the UNESCO as it is an ancient site and an architect from the UNESCO needs to be here. The minaret needs to be repaired especially its designs, if no, it will collapse. These all require security, otherwise, nobody can go there,” said Fakhruddin Aryapour, head of culture department in Ghor province, where the minaret locates.
He said that a police unit must be stationed near the minaret.
Abdul Qayoum, head of a police unit in the area confirmed that the Minaret of Jam was under high security threat, claiming Taliban were excavating around the site.
“Taliban took control of the area last year and collected a lot of information about the Minaret of Jam. They had brought devices from Pakistan for research. They will destroy the minaret a hundred per cent because they are against the minaret,” Qayoum said.
But the provincial spokesman believes the area was secure. “There is tight security in the area. There are national and local police as well as the public uprising forces to protect the minaret.”
Head of provincial department of culture said that a consolidating wall was newly built by the government near the minaret to protect it from floods.
