Taybad Karat Minaret

Posted in Razavi khorasan Province

Taybad Karat Minaret is located in the village of Karat, 52 km southwest of Taybad, near Khaf. This building was as a sign for guiding travelers and caravans that passed through this route.

The stem of this minaret has a two-part structure with a height of 25 meters; the base of the minaret is 15 meters high in the form of an octagon while the upper part is cylindrical. There is also an entrance in the south west part of the minaret which connects a balcony-like space to the interior. The historical Karat minaret has architectural style of Seljuk period; for instance, in the middle part of the building, an inscription in Kufic script surrounds a wide strip around the minaret, which unfortunately has been severely damaged by natural factors. This building is slightly sloping rather than vertical; experts believe that the occurrence of earthquakes in the past is the cause of building deflection. The fact that this building has been able to survive for years even with such a sloping position shows the engineering and architectural abilities of Iranians in the past. Next to Karat minaret, there is an old cemetery that has graves with old signs belonging to Qajar and pre-Qajar periods.

Karat Minaret Decorations

The decorations of Taybad Karat Minaret include “Gereh-chini” that has given a special beauty to the minaret building. Various brickwork and bricklaying decorations along with the brick inscription have decorated the surface of the octagonal part. However, these brick ornaments in the octagonal part of Taybad minaret decorations are stretched to the middle of the minaret and are employed as separate strips in different sizes. On top, a strip with a width of four centimeters has been created by highlighting the lower and upper bricks, with the space between them filled with brickwork and bricklaying in the form of relief; in this part, simple geometric patterns have been created. Moreover, there is another strip with a width of 40 cm, where the octagonal base of the building is slightly smaller to make the structure more static. The brickwork decorations of Taybad Minaret have suffered a lot of damage due to structural problems and subsidence of the building, resulting in the demolition of parts of these decorations, which fortunately have been partially restored.

To visit Taybad Minaret and other attractions of Razavi Khorasan Province, you can participate in Persiantrips tours and get acquainted with the history and architecture of Iran.

Tags: Razavi khorasan Province, Razavi khorasan Attractions, Iran Historical Attractions, Minarets in Iran, Taybad Karat Minaret , Taybad Karat Tower

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