Menar Jonban
Menar Jonban is one of the most famous historical monuments of Iran, located in Atashgah Street, six kilometers west of Isfahan in a neighborhood called Karladan.
Menar Jonban was built as a shrine for a mystic named Amo Abdullah Karladani; this tomb was built in 1316 according to a stone inscription. With an area of about 146 square meters and two minarets with a height of seven and a half meters from the roof, Menar Jonban is one of the architectural works of Ilkhanid dynasty while the minarets were added at the beginning of the eighteenth century at end of the Safavid period.
Menar Jonban Minarets
The reputation of the building is due to an architectural ingenuity that occurs when one of the minarets shakes; in fact, by shaking one minaret, the other minaret shakes simultaneously; as a result, the whole building shakes, even the tombstone; if you put a water container on the tombstone, you will see the vibration of the water inside it when the minarets shake. Each minaret is 9 meters wide and 17 meters high. The minarets were built during Safavid dynasty about 3 centuries after the construction of the porch; in fact, the minarets were later attached to the porch. The minarets of Menar Jonban were beautifully constructed by the master craftsmen of that time. The beautiful polygonal tiles with turquoise colors, 4-pointed stars in azure color and the wonderful decorations with black and white tiles, which dazzle the eyes of every viewer, show the taste and art of these architects.
Reasons for the Minarets Shakes
One reason lies in the structure of the minaret; it can be stated that the minarets are built in a way to have the necessary resistance to the kinetic load caused by the shakes of the minaret. The presence of two seams, 3 cm in each direction that are located between the stem of each minaret make each minaret able to move easily and spread the pressure on the entire structure of the tomb. Wooden coils in the shape of a square frame placed at the top and bottom of the minaret stem can also act as a flexible support in the body of the minaret.
Menar Jonban is an amazing building in the city of Isfahan. It is not the only building with this feature in Isfahan since the minarets at the entrance of the Ashtarjan Grand Mosque are its counterpart. The fame of the minaret increased day by day after tourists and travelers visited this amazing attraction, and every day a large number of domestic and foreign travelers travel to Isfahan to see this unique historical monument. While visiting this monument, every visitor liked to know how the second minaret shakes, so each visitor tried to shake the minaret themselves and see the shaking of another minaret. If this issue continued, it would definitely damage the maintenance of the structure because the main purpose of this minaret construction was not to shake the minarets. Therefore, a measure was taken by the officials to preserve this historical site; as a result, visitors are no longer allowed to shake the minarets. An expert who is the representative of Isfahan Cultural Heritage Organization shakes the minarets twice in the morning and in the afternoon for the visitors. It is said that he climbs the steps of the minaret and shakes the minarets so that all visitors can see this architectural masterpiece. Of course, during Nowruz, this is done once an hour. Fortunately, in recent years, this national and historical heritage of Iran has been well preserved and protected.
Tags: Isfahan Province, Isfahan Attractions, Iran Historical Attractions, Minarets in Iran, Menar Jonban
