The Secret Afghanistan - Islamic Minaret Of Jam Ghor Province in central Afghanistan -- one of the country's more secure regions and also one of it's most remote. Tucked away among these shimmering turquoise/red mountains, hides one of Afghanistan's most ancient treasures: The Minaret of Jam. --TITLE SEQUENCE-- Music. --VOICEOVER— In the sleepy Ghor capital of Chagcharan, the local people are proud of their iconic monument -- they've even built a replica in the town centre. But the Minaret's position at the centre of an ancient Islamic civilisation means it has far-reaching, symbolic significance. --SOUNDBITE (DARI)— (With English subtitles) "The Minaret of Jam is part of Ghor's historical heritage. However it is part of a heritage that belongs not just to Ghor, but to people all over Afghanistan." --VOICEOVER— The 100 kilometre route between Chagcharan and the site of the Minaret is in poor condition. Allowing ten hours to reach it still wasn't enough. At the city limits, road turns to dust, dust to jagged ravine, and ravine on occasion, to river. --PIECE TO CAMERA— Just to give you an idea of the treacherous road conditions here, we have five Humvee vehicles and we've just experienced our third puncture, this time to our vehicle so we're going to stop now and take a look. --VOICEOVER-- In spite of the road conditions, the drive offered a unique window into rural Afghanistan. The Ghor countryside with its rolling hills, green valleys and pocketed communities is as stunningly picturesque as it is remote. The people here live a quiet existence more concerned with farming their livestock than the war that embroils other parts of the country. --PIECE TO CAMERA— After a gruelling ten or eleven hour journey, we've made it to where we're going to set up camp for the evening. We're still ten or fifteen kilometres away from the Minaret of Jam but we'll continue on tomorrow morning. --MORNING SEQUENCE— Music. --PIECE TO CAMERA— It's been an epic trip. We've finally made it here. We're at the Jam Gorge where the Jam River and the Hari River meet, and the Minaret is right at the crossroads of those two rivers. Which should be just around this corner. --VOICEOVER— And there it was. Looming 65 metres out of the gorge, the Minaret of Jam. The second tallest ancient Minaret in the world and an eight-hundred-year-old testament to the architectural prowess of a bygone empire. --PIECE TO CAMERA— The Minaret was built in the late twelfth century by the Sultan Siryath Al Din, who was head of the Ghurid Empire which stretched from the border with Iran, through Afghanistan, into parts of Pakistan and up to Bengal in India. It is thought that the Minaret marks the city of Firuzkuh, the Ghurid summer capital; known nowadays as the lost city of the Turquoise Mountain. --VOICEOVER— Looting and river erosion have laid waste to many of the architectural relics that would give more insight into this ancient city. However this artist's impression gives some idea as to how Firuzkuh may have looked. The Mongols sacked the city in the thirteenth century. The reason they left the Minaret standing, is a mystery. --PIECE TO CAMERA— About half way up the Minaret is this incredible turquoise tiling, and all down the sides is Kufic script, which is an ancient form of Islamic Calligraphy. It's incredibly beautiful. --VOICEOVER— Inside the Minaret, two staircases, in the form of a double helix lead from bottom to top. Some eight hundred years ago, Mullahs would have climbed these steps and delivered the call to prayer to the city below. --SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)— "It's amazing that this Minaret has been standing for the last eight hundred years. In spite of the fact the Mongols ransacked this place, in spite of everything, in spite of erosion by flooding, earthquakes, pillaging and everything. Truly amazing site." --VOICEOVER— It had been a remarkable journey, and those of us on it were privileged to witness an ancient wonder that has survived through eight turbulent centuries. The Minaret however, is under serious threat. Emergency floodwalls have been constructed to combat river erosion, but without further preservation funding and archaeological investigation, future generations may not have the chance to witness this intricate vestige of Afghan heritage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minaret_of_Jam http://youtube.com/AlunHill

• published: 21 Aug 2013
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