Mudhafaria Minaret

The Mudhafaria minaret, also called the Choli minaret, was built in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century under Muzaffar al-Din Gökböri, the atabeg of Erbil, and it stands alone: the mosque it belonged to is long gone, leaving a brick tower around thirty-six metres high on an octagonal base, divided into two shafts by a band of muqarnas, with the brickwork laid in geometric patterns across its surface. It leans noticeably. Conservation work has consolidated the structure and it now stands in a public park with lawns and paths, floodlit at night, a short distance from the citadel. It is the oldest standing building in Erbil outside the citadel mound and takes half an hour to see.

History

The minaret was built between 1190 and 1233 in the reign of Muzaffar al-Din Gökböri, ruler of Erbil, who allied with Saladin during the Ayyubid expansion into the region and married Saladin's sister, Rabia Khatun (Wikipedia, Mudhafaria Minaret).

What you'll find

• The patterned brickwork - geometric laying across the tower's surface.
• The muqarnas band - the corbelled ring dividing the two shafts.
• The lean - the tower's visible tilt from vertical.
• The park setting - lawns and paths around the isolated minaret.

When to go

October to April; Erbil summers are extreme. Evenings are pleasant and the minaret is floodlit. The park is a public space open at all hours.

Before you go

The minaret cannot be entered or climbed. There is no mosque to see, only the tower. Interpretation is minimal. The park around it is modern and unremarkable. It is a short stop rather than a destination.

Nearby

The Erbil citadel lies northeast; the bazaar is below it.

Key facts