Majesty of Khosrogerd Minaret in Khorasan Razavi Province
Not very long ago, minarets — often called guide towers — were solemn human-made structures placed in the heart of deserts. They were built to serve as visual guides for caravans, helping them avoid losing their way. Today, these minarets still act as guides for travelers who visit them, reliving the history embedded within their stones.
The Khosrogerd Minaret is located ten kilometers east of the city of Sabzevar, in Khorasan Razavi Province. It dates back to the twelfth century and is among the few minarets that have preserved their grandeur until today.
Undoubtedly, the ancient travelers who passed along the Silk Road recorded many memories of the Khosrogerd Minaret. In fact, it can be said that the minaret was an integral part of the Silk Road itself. In recent years, after the separation of the two lanes of the Tehran-Mashhad route, the minaret now stands between the two roads, visible from both directions.
The Khosrogerd Minaret dates back approximately nine hundred years. It was constructed in 1112 by order of Taj-o-Dowleh Ab-ol-Ghasem-ibn-e-Saeed, during the Seljuk dynasty. Its total height from the base to the highest point is just over thirty-two meters. Compared to other buildings, it remains the tallest historic monument in Razavi Khorasan Province.
The main material used in the construction of the Khosrogerd Minaret is brick. These bricks are supported by other compounds such as wood and a mortar mixture of mud, limestone, sand, and clay. The structure is composed of four parts: the base, the main body, the body, and the head. The base is square-shaped, while the main body is a tall cylinder. To access the upper part of the minaret, two stairways have been built on the eastern and western sides, each consisting of six stairs.
At the top of the minaret, two inscribed tablets written in Kufic script can be seen, along with decorative patterns in diamond shapes. According to archaeologists, the Khosrogerd Minaret is a unique, standalone structure, independent of any other construction.