What determines the number of domes on a mosque? Minaret - what is it? Origin, history and features of architectural forms

"What's in front of her now? Winter. Istanbul.

The consul's grins. An annoying hum

market at noon. Class minarets

earth-earth or earth-turban

(otherwise - cloud). Zurna, antimony.

Another race."

Joseph Brodsky. "Ritratto di donna".
(Portrait of a Woman).1993

Traveling during the non-tourist season - from November to March - has its advantages. It gets dark early, early
Museums are closing, but there are noticeably fewer tourists. Cities, even southern ones, are not decorated
flowering trees and flower beds, but through the bare branches there are views that
in summer it hides dense foliage. How beautiful in combination with the exquisite pattern of the branch domes,
spiers, and in Istanbul - minarets so thin that they can be likened to tree trunks.

"Mosque of Princes" - Shahzadeh. 1548

However, for Joseph Brodsky, who strongly disliked Istanbul, the minarets evoked others
associations: "... the mosques of Istanbul! These gigantic ones, perched on the ground, are unable to tear themselves away from it
frozen stone toads! Only the minarets, most reminiscent - prophetically, I'm afraid -
ground-to-air installations, and indicate the direction in which the soul was going to move,"
- Brodsky wrote in his essay “Travel to Istanbul” in 1985.

Minarets of the Blue Mosque of Sultanahmet. 1616

Almost 30 years later, Brodsky’s prophetic fears became almost a reality.Europe
fears the expansion of Islam, quiet Switzerland votes to ban the construction of minarets,
politically correct Germany is seriously concerned that the minarets will rise higher
Cologne Cathedral.

Suleymaniye Mosque. 1557 Fragments.

In Istanbul, as you know, Muslims, Christians and Jews once coexisted peacefully. Herself
the amazing geography of the city contributed to this - Muslims and non-Muslims lived side by side
side, but each on its own shore of the narrow and long, like a river, Golden Horn Bay. Bosphorus divides
Istanbul is divided into European and Asian parts, and the Golden Horn, in turn, is conventionally divided
the European part of the city to "Istanbul is truly Muslim" , on the south, and "Istanbul
Gentiles" - on the northern bank of the Golden Horn. In the European part of the city there is
the famous Pera (now Beyoglu) - an area where everything is just like in Europe, Christian
temples, the few remaining synagogues in the city, the Galata Tower, which offers a view
to the “Istanbul of the Faithful”, separated by a strip of water, with huge mosques on the hills and
the ancient Sultan's Palace Topkapi.

View of Istanbul from the Galata Tower. On the left is the Bosphorus and the Asian part of the city.
To the right is the Golden Horn Bay, behind it is old Istanbul with palaces and mosques.

Beautiful! Even Brodsky could not help but admit: “Against the background of the sunset, on the crest of a hill, their (mosques)
silhouettes make a strong impression; hand reaches for the camera, like a spy at the sight
military facility. There really is something menacingly otherworldly about them,alien,
absolutely hermetic, shell-like. And it's all the samedirty brown, like
most buildings in Istanbul. And all this onbackground of the turquoise Bosphorus."

View of the Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn from the Galata Tower

So my hand reached out to the camera, although the sun was shining straight into my eyes and the conditions for
The photo sessions weren't the best. As for the “armor-shaped” mosques, the comparison
really spot on! The mosques lay down like huge turtles by the water, climbed onto
hills. Their squat monochrome bodies (all the beauty and brightness is inside!) would be completely
awkward, if not for the minarets, but for the silhouette of the city without multiple verticals
minarets would have lost unspeakably.

Let's look at the minarets without bias - they are very slender, graceful, and up close
does not resemble a rocket at launch. The word "minaret" comes from the Arabic "manara", "lighthouse",
since in coastal cities minarets served as lighthouses. Istanbul minarets -
round, sometimes with grooved grooves, very narrow, with a pointed cone-shaped
completion. From above their trunks are surrounded by one or two or three openwork balconies -
shurfe. The balconies below are often decorated with characteristics characteristic of Muslim architecture
"muqarnas" or "stalactites" - decorative reliefs located above each other
another prism.

Dolmabahce Mini-Mosque (1855) on the shores of the Bosphorus near Dolmabahce Palace

The larger and more significant the mosque, the more minarets it has - from one to four, and the more
they are taller. The only minaret of a small quarterly mosque does not reach 50 meters,
and the minarets of the Sultan’s mosques rise almost a hundred meters, however, they cannot compete
with skyscrapers of modern Istanbul.

Minaret of the Blue Mosque (1616) with balconies decorated with “stalactites”

Inside the mineret there is a spiral staircase, along which the muezzin in former times
once a day he went up to the shurfe balcony to call the believers to prayer. Sometimes
inside the minaret there were two or three spiral staircases, so that those walking along them
haven't met each other. These days, the muezzin no longer ascends the minaret, but broadcasts
through a loudspeaker mounted on it.

Blue Sultanahmet Mosque with six minarets. 1616

It would seem, why build four minarets when one is enough? How
The more minarets, the more glorious and significant the mosque. How important this is proves
a story that is quite boring to me (all the guides happily tell it and repeat it
all guidebooks in all languages) about the six minarets of the Sultanahmet Mosque (or Ahmediye or, as
It was called the “Blue Mosque” for the incomparable beauty of its tiles). Sultan Ahmet allegedly said
to the architect that he wants to build golden ("Altyn") minarets, but the somewhat deaf architect heard
"alti" - six. Because of this misunderstanding, a mosque with six minarets was built. Muslim
the world perceived this as insolence, since only the Beytullah Mosque in
Mecca, so Sultan Ahmet had to build another - the seventh - minaret for the mosque
Beytullah, and balance was restored.

Byzantine temple HAHA SOPHIA, converted into a mosque.

There’s a separate conversation about it, so let’s look at it through the jets of the fountain .

Suleymaniye Mosque (1557) with 10 balconies on four minarets

In the evening, the minarets are especially spectacular - illuminated, they sparkle against the dark sky,
like burning pillars.

Blue Sultanahmet Mosque illuminated at night

The words are the embodiment of all Islamic architecture. This tower is the most striking element of the structure, the main thing that makes it clear to an inexperienced tourist that in front of him is a mosque. Nevertheless, the decorative, architectural function is not the main thing in the minaret; its functional purpose is important.

What does minaret mean? Main theories of its origin

The word "minaret" comes from the Arabic term "manar", which means "lighthouse". The name, as we can see, is symbolic: the minaret, like the lighthouse, was created to notify. When the first minarets appeared in coastal cities, lights were lit on their tops to show ships the way to the bays.

About 100 years ago, Egyptologist Butler suggested that the Cairo minarets of the Mamluk era, which is a tower of several pyramids of different sizes placed one on top of the other, are a retrospection of the Lighthouse of Alexandria - a generally recognized architectural miracle of the ancient world.

Unfortunately, only the description of the Pharos of Alexandria reached contemporaries. Nevertheless, it is known for certain that the lighthouse was intact at the time when the Arabs entered Egypt, so the hypothesis that architectural forms were borrowed from it is quite plausible.

Some researchers believe that the minarets are the architectural heirs of the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. For example, anyone familiar with the shape of the ziggurat can trace its similarities to the 50-meter high Al-Malwiya minaret in Samarra.

Also, one of the theories of the origin of the shape of minarets is the borrowing of their architectural parameters from church towers. This version refers to minarets with a square and cylindrical cross-section.

Purpose of minarets

It is from the minaret that the call to prayer comes every day. At the mosque there is a specially trained person - a muezzin, whose job responsibilities include announcing the beginning of prayer five times a day.

In order to climb to the top of the minaret, namely the sharaf (balcony), the muezzin goes up the spiral staircase located inside the minaret. Different minarets have different numbers of scarafs (one or two, or 3-4): the height of the minaret is a parameter that determines their total number.

Since some minarets are very narrow, there could be countless circles around this spiral staircase, so climbing such a staircase became a whole ordeal and sometimes took hours (especially if the muezzin was old).

Nowadays, the functions of the muezzin are more simplified. He no longer needs to climb the minaret. What happened, you ask, that changed Islamic rules so much? The answer is extremely simple - technological progress. With the development of mass notification technologies, all the work for the muezzin began to be done by a loudspeaker installed on the minaret scaraf: 5 times a day, audio recordings of the azan - the call to prayer - are automatically played on it.

History of the construction of minarets

The very first mosque with towers resembling minarets was built in Damascus in the 8th century. This mosque had 4 low square-section towers, practically indistinguishable in height from the general one. Each individual tower of this mosque vaguely resembled a minaret. What these turrets, remaining from the Roman fence that previously stood on the site of this mosque, meant is not known for certain.

Some historians believe that these Roman towers were not removed because they were used as minarets: from them muezzins called Muslims to prayer. A little later, several more pyramidal tops were erected above these sagging towers, after which they began to resemble the minarets of the Mamluk era, like those in Samarra.

Then a tradition developed according to which only the Sultan could build more than one minaret at the mosque. The structures that were built on the orders of the rulers were the pinnacle of architecture. To strengthen their ruling position, the sultans did not skimp on decoration and materials, hired the best architects and built mosques with so many minarets (6 and even 7) that sometimes it was no longer physically possible to build more one minaret. What such scale, pomp, and immoderation in the construction of mosques and minarets could mean, the following story can clearly show us.

When the Suleymaniye Mosque was being built, for unknown reasons there was a long break. Having learned about this, the Safavid Shah Tahmasib I set out to make fun of the Sultan and sent him a box with precious stones and jewelry so that he could continue construction with them.

The Sultan, enraged by the ridicule, ordered his architect to crush all the jewelry, mix it into building material and build a minaret from it. According to some indirect records, this minaret of the Suleymaniye Mosque shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow in the sun for a very long time.

Construction of minarets

The minaret as an element of the mosque creates together with it a single, inextricable architectural complex. There are several main elements that make up a minaret. What these elements represent visually can be seen in almost any mosque complex.

The minaret tower is installed on a solid foundation made of gravel and fixing materials.

Along the perimeter of the tower there is a sherefe curtained balcony, which, in turn, rests on muqarnas - decorative projections that serve as support for the balcony.

At the very top of the minaret there is a cylindrical Petek tower, on which a spire with a crescent is erected.

Basically, minarets are made of cut stone, because this is the most resistant and durable material. The internal stability of the structure is ensured by a reinforced stairwell.

Everyone knows what it is mosque, but what is minaret? A minaret is a tall tower-like structure built in the corners of mosques. As a rule, a minaret serves to ensure that the sound of the singing of imams (heads of mosques) spreads over a large area, and in some cases, to illuminate the area. You can often see these structures in movies, and especially often in Islamic countries while traveling. Today we will talk about interesting facts regarding minarets and mosques.

A little history

Translated from Arabic, the word “minaret” means “lighthouse”. The fact is that in past centuries, lights were lit on the tops of the minarets of coastal cities so that ship captains could direct their ships on the right course, hence the name.

At the very beginning of Islamic history, there were no minarets at all. To call for prayer, a person had to climb to the roof of a mosque or some other high structure.

According to some sources, the first minarets were built in the corners of the Amr-ibn-al-As mosque in Fustat (ancient Cairo) by order of the Egyptian governor Maslama ibn Muhallad (7th century).

To climb up scarf(balcony) located at the top, the caller must climb a spiral staircase inside the minaret. Different minarets have different numbers of balconies (one, two or three) - this depends on the height of the structure.

Where are the minarets?

In different Muslim countries, minarets can vary in configuration, depending on the style of architecture. For example, mosques in Iraq and Iran have a single scarf, helmet-shaped domes and a round cross-section. Turkish minarets are characterized by a narrower circular cross-section and have a cone-shaped tip. If you look at the minarets in North African countries, they have a square cross-section. In the same minarets that have recently been erected in European countries, the Art Nouveau style predominates.

The mosque has two minarets, but this is not interesting, but the fact that if you push one of them, both of them begin to sway.

This was done so that the minarets would not be destroyed in the event of earthquakes, but would allow vibrations of the earth’s surface to pass through them.

The secret of the minarets could not be revealed for more than three hundred years.

Click on the picture to get a free encyclopedia!

Finally

It should also be noted that the world-famous bathhouse, which is heated by just one candle, was also developed by Sheikh Bahai, but its secret has not yet been solved, and the diagram of its heating system has sunk into oblivion.

The bathhouse was dismantled by Russian engineers during the occupation of Iran by Russian troops during the Russian-Iranian War, but they failed to understand it.

The bathhouse was reassembled, but, unfortunately, it no longer worked.

History is truly full of countless mysteries and interesting facts. It is unlikely that we will be able to present them all, but we will continue to strive for this, preparing for you only the most interesting things on the pages of our travel magazine.

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Islamic architecture is usually easily recognizable due to its characteristic vaults, specific domes and, of course, minarets, which we will discuss briefly below.

The meaning of the word "minaret" goes back to the Arabic word "manara", meaning "lighthouse". In addition, this structure is also called mizana or sauma. Architecturally, a minaret is quite easy to define - it is essentially an ordinary tower. But what makes a tower a minaret?

What is a minaret

A minaret is not just a tower, it is a structure that is being built near a mosque. Its functional purpose is somewhat similar to Christian bell towers - to notify believers about the beginning of prayer and to convene them to perform general prayer. But unlike their Christian counterparts, there are no bells on the minarets. Instead, people called muezzins call believers to prayer at certain hours with special exclamations. This word comes from an Arabic verb, which can roughly be translated into Russian with the words “shout in public.” In other words, the minaret is, in a sense, an elevation for the speaker.

Types of minarets

Architecturally, there are at least two types of minarets - round or square in base and section. Multifaceted structures are less common. In all other respects, the minaret is similar to the usual lighthouse or bell tower. Just like on them, on the upper tier of the sauma there is a special platform where the muezzin rises. It looks like a balcony and is called sherefe. The entire structure is usually crowned with a dome.

Square, that is, tetrahedral at the base, minarets are most often found in North Africa. Round-trunked trees, on the contrary, are rarely found there, but they prevail in the Near and Middle East.

In ancient times, in order to go upstairs, minarets were equipped with an external spiral staircase or ramp. Therefore, they often had a spiral design. Over time, stairs increasingly began to be built inside buildings. This tradition has spread and taken over, so now it is difficult to find a minaret that has an external staircase.

Like the mosque building, the minaret is often decorated in a distinctive Islamic style. This could be brickwork, carvings, glaze, or openwork balcony decorations. Therefore, a minaret is not just a functional structure, it is also an object of Islamic art.

If the mosque is small, as a rule, one minaret is attached to it. Medium-sized buildings are supplied with two. Particularly large ones can have four or more. The maximum number of minarets can be found in the famous Prophet's Mosque, which is located in Medina. It is equipped with ten towers.

Minarets in our time

Technological progress makes its own adjustments to the way of life of Muslims. Often today there is no longer any need for muezzins to climb to the top of the minaret. Instead, speakers are installed on the tower's balcony, like on pillars, which simply broadcast the muezzin's voice.

In some countries, minarets are completely prohibited. We are talking, of course, not about Muslim countries, but about Western regions and states. The first among such countries was Switzerland. In 2009, following the results of a popular referendum, the construction of a misan was prohibited. Therefore, the minaret is a prohibited structure in this European country.

Minaret of the Islamic Center in Serbia - 77.5 m

With the financial support of Muslim believers from Luxembourg, Germany, Sweden, the USA, Australia and other parts of the world, an Islamic center - a mosque was built in the village of Delimeđe, with the two highest minarets in Eurasia - 77.5 m, and one of the highest in the world . Over 1 million euros were raised for the construction of the Islamic Center, which includes a mosque and other services.

For comparison: the minaret of the Fitja mosque in Stockholm is 32 m high; the minaret of the relatively new “Heart of Chechnya” mosque in Grozny is 62 m high and the minaret of the famous Qutub mosque in New Delhi is 72.5 m high. The tallest minaret in Central Asia is in Bukhara - 47 m.

In the sky

The mosque with the tallest minarets in Eurasia was erected in the small village of Delimeje, in the Tutin community, where there are only 88 households and three hundred adult residents. The minarets, built in 2009, took the palm from the Islamic center “Heart of Chechnya” built in 2008 in Grozny, whose minarets are more modest in height - 62 meters.

The architect of the minarets in Delimije, Muharem Kruško from Maglaj, is a former builder who worked in Croatia; during his life he built 230 minarets, mainly in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina, being a kind of world record holder. Krushko built the first minaret back in 1966 in Gluhaya Bukvitsa.

The absolute record holder for the height of a minaret is the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca in Morocco with a height of 210 meters, but the Iranians are planning to build a minaret in Tehran with a height of 230 meters.

Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

About minarets

There are two main types of minarets: tetrahedral (North Africa) and round (Near and Middle East). The minarets were decorated with patterned brickwork, carvings, glazed ceramics, and openwork balconies (sherefe).

Small mosques usually have one minaret (or none at all), medium ones - two; the large Sultan's mosques in Istanbul had from four to six minarets. The largest number of minarets, ten, is at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.

Muezzin (Arabic: مؤذن‎‎) - calling Muslims to prayer.

There are several versions about the origin of the call to prayer (adhan or nida). According to one, the tradition of the call to prayer arose even before Muhammad’s migration to Medina (Hijra). According to another - after the migration, approximately in the second year of the Hijra. The first muezzin, the Abyssinian Bilyal ibn Rabah, first called people to prayer on the streets, and only after some time they began to use the highest point in the city for this. There were also regional methods of calling: in Fez (Morocco) a banner was strengthened on the minaret, and in the dark a lamp was lit.

The verb “adzana” in Arabic means “to shout in public,” says Wikipedia. The muezzin is the assistant to the imam-khatib, he must recite the adhan and tasbih. The time when the muezzin calls for prayer is strictly determined by the laws of Islam, and this has a deep meaning inherent in centuries-old traditions.

The winter days of the year are much shorter than the summer ones, so in winter the morning prayer of a Muslim will be much later, and the night prayer much earlier than in summer. Currently, the muezzin no longer climbs the minaret, but his voice is broadcast by speakers installed on the minaret.

Fittja Mosque minaret in Stockholm

Ancient mosques and minarets reflected the national cultural differences of Muslims. The merit of Muslims in the cultural and religious historical context is enormous. Followers of Islam built magnificent Islamic temples emanating blessed light. For centuries, an atmosphere of philanthropy was created in them.

Distant ancestors understood that mosques were built to last, and that the Islamic religion was the future. Mosques contain the spiritual and moral code of Islam and the power of the Almighty (it is no coincidence that the tradition of entering a mosque without shoes is observed).

The modern culture of mosque construction is unified; many factors influence the appearance of the building and its style. Within the city of Pyatigorsk, the court, following a lawsuit from the authorities, ordered the dismantling of the minarets of two mosques. Pyatigorsk is a resort city, part of the North Caucasian Federal District tourist cluster. And what will tourists remember when looking at the Pyatigorsk mosque without a minaret against the backdrop of the mountains?

Russia is not small Serbia, which cares about the image of the country, with a population of 7,186,862 people, of which 239,658 (3.2%) are Muslims. There are twenty million Muslims in Russia who are grateful for the minarets.

Svetlana Mamiy. Moscow