Only two Afghan sites are currently inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list. The first was the Minaret of Jam (inscribed in 2002), located in the steep valley of the Hari-rud river, an isolated area more than 200km east of Herat and almost 2,000m above sea level. This “tower of victory” was built in 1194 by the Ghurid sultan Ghiyas-od-din to commemorate his dynasty’s empire and, at 65m, it remains one of the tallest brick buildings in the world. Its conservation presents considerable challenges, due to its distance from any city and to the rivers at its base, which have threatened its stability.

Since 2002, the minaret has remained on the list of World Heritage in Danger, under serious threat of erosion, and has not been actively preserved.

The Minaret of Jam belongs to a group of around 60 minarets and towers built between the 11th and the 13th centuries in Central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan, including the Kutlug Timur Minaret in Old Urgench (long considered the tallest of these still in existence).

During the 12th and 13th century, the Ghurids controlled what is now Afghanistan, but also parts of eastern Iran, Central Asia, Northern India and parts of Pakistan.