Tag: second largest defence wall

Gonbad-e Qabus Iran’s Towering UNESCO Masterpiece of Architecture Rising 52 meters above the skyline of Golestan Province, the Gonbad-e Qabus (also pronounced Gonbad-e Kavoos or Gonbad-e Kavus) is a striking brick tower and UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed in 2012) that has dominated the northeastern Iranian plains for over a millennium. Built in 1006 AD for Qabus ibn Voshmgir, the Ziyarid ruler and scholar, this cylindrical tomb is a testament to Persian innovation in mathematics, astronomy, and early Islamic architecture. Why It’s Remarkable Architectural Marvel: The world’s tallest pure-brick tower, with a conical roof that defies gravity. Its design encodes geometric precision—10 triangular buttresses symbolize the 10 stars of Qabus’ zodiac sign (Capricorn). Acoustic Mystery: Whisper at the base, and your voice echoes unnaturally at the top—a feat still unexplained by engineers. Silk Road Legacy: Once a navigation beacon for caravans crossing the Karakum Desert toward Central Asia. Visiting Tips Best Time: Sunrise or sunset, when the brick glows gold against the steppe. Nearby: Pair with the Turkmen Plains or Gorgan’s ancient wall (the "Great Wall of Iran"). A small agricultural town of Gonbad-e Qabus  lies approx. 500km east of Mashhad, in Golestan province, Iran. According to the two Kufic inscriptions encircling the construction, the tower was built in 1006 as a burial chamber for a Ziyarid prince. It is 72m high and is one of the tallest brick towers in the world. The tower walls are 3 meters thick and the tower itself is 17 meters in diameter. It is part of the world’s second-largest defense wall, the 155km-long Qizil Alan. The tower, built of unglazed baked bricks, is the only remaining evidence of the ancient city of Jorjan. Jorjan was the ancient Ziyarid capital, destroyed during the Mongols' invasion in the 14th and 15th centuries. Gonbad-e Qabus Tower is