Manaret al-'Anah
'Anah, Iraq
The Minaret is situated in Anah, a town close to the Syrian border. It was built freestanding on the Island of Labad, on the Euphrates River, by the Uqaylid dynasty of Mosul.

As a freestanding tower, its octagonal plan differs from the Seljuk and Zangid Iraqi minarets of the same period. It is built with rubble stones and covered with juss, or gypsum. The octagonal base has an arched opening on the north side providing access to the interior of the minaret. Its octagonal shaft leans sidewise. It is decorated with eight rows of arched niches set in rectangular frames. Every row is composed of eight niches located on each of the eight sides of the octagon. Some of these sixty-four niches constitute windows to light the internal staircase.

The shaft ends with an octagonal recessed spire covered by a low dome. This recess creates a space for the balcony inscribed inside the minaret envelope; it is accessible through four arched openings situated on the sides of the octagonal spire below the dome.

Sources:

Al-Ani, Abd al-Aziz. Al-Madinah Al-Mughriqah, Dirasah Maydaniyah Fulkluriyah li-Madinat Anah. al-Jumhuriyah al-Iraqiyah, Wizarat al-Thaqafah wa-al-Ilam, Baghdad, 1985.

Bosworth, Clifford Edmond. The New Islamic Dynasties, 91-92. New York, Columbia University Press, 1996.

Uluçam, Abdüsselam. Irak'taki Türk Mimari Eserleri>, 128. Ankara: Kültür Bakanligi, 1989.
Location
'Anah, Iraq
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
1058/449 AH
Style Periods
Variant Names
al-'Anah Minaret
Variant
Minaret at 'Anah
Variant
Building Usages
religious