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Islam / Structures / Mosque
Minaret
Arabic: mināra
Tower near to, or built into, the structures of a mosque, which is used by the muezzin to call out the adhan in order to make people to come to prayers in Islam.
The earliest mosques were built without minarets, and the action of adhan could be performed in many other locations. The hadiths tell us that the Muslim community of Madina called out to prayers from the roof of the house of Muhammad, a house that doubled as a house for prayers.
First around 80 years after Muhammad's death did the first minarets we know of appear. This happened in places as far between as Kairouan in Tunisia and Damascus in Syria. It is good reason to believe that the Great Mosque of Damascus, built in 705, was inspired by the churches of the city, yet the Muslim minaret served its own functions, continuing the old traditions from the house of Muhammad.
Minaret are now very much symbols of Islam, even if they technically are bid'a. Minarets are often adorned, high and striving to be as slim and elegant as possible. Modern minarets are often giving even more room for artistic achievements than in earlier times. The ground floor of minarets are always fitted into a square, with the higher parts of the minaret being everything from square to round many are even octagonal. On top there is a tiny room from where the muezzin either is or where the loudspeakers are. This room is covered with a pointed roof.
Early wahhabism outlawed minarets, a regulation imposed for only very short time. The Mosque of the Prophet in Madina has a record 10 minarets, lying right in the state of the wahhabi movment.
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