# List of oldest minarets

This article lists some but by no means all of the oldest known minaret towers in the world.
The oldest minaret still surviving is that of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia. It was constructed in 836 AD and is considered as the prototype for all the square shaped minarets built in the Western Muslim World.
Most ancient, surviving minarets were constructed adjacent to a mosque, for the Muslim call to prayer (Adhan) five times each day by a muezzin (crier). A few minarets were built as watchtowers, landmarks or symbols of victory or glory of a Muslim Khanate or empire. In some instances, like the Minaret of Jam only the minaret tower survives today while the adjoining mosques and other structures were destroyed over time by nature and invaders.

## List of oldest minarets

This list ranks the oldest surviving minarets in the world. Only minarets built before 1900 AD. are included.
| Name | Location | Country | Region | Height (m) | Height (ft) | Year Built | Status | Notes |
| Great Mosque of Kairouan Minaret | Kairouan | Tunisia | North Africa | 31.5 | 103 | 836 | Preserved | |
| Great Mosque of Samarra Minaret | Samarra | Iraq | Western Asia | 52 | 171 | 851 | Preserved | |
| Kutlug Timur Minaret | Konye-Urgench | Turkmenistan | Central Asia | 60+ | 197 | 1011 | | Believed to be the tallest of the ancient minarets in Central Asia. Dome was destroyed in 1221 by Mongols. Only 60 meters remain. |
| Burana Tower | Chuy Valley | Kyrgyzstan | Central Asia | 25 | 82 | 11th Century | Preserved | Originally 45 metres tall. Top destroyed by earthquake in 15th century. |
| Uzgen Minaret | Uzgen | Kyrgyzstan | Central Asia | 27.5 | 90 | 11th century | Preserved | |
| Ali minaret | Isfahan | Iran | Western Asia | 52-54 | 171-177 | 11th-12th Century | preserved | Formerly built for a Seljuk-era mosque, now attached to a Safavid-era mosque. |
| Ghazni Minarets | Ghazni | Afghanistan | South Asia | 20 | 65 | 12th century | Endangered | 2 minaret towers. Upper portion of tower lost to earthquake in 1902 |
| Jarkurgan minaret | Jarkurgan | Uzbekistan | Central Asia | 21.6 | 71 | 1108 | | |
| Khosrogerd Minaret | Sabzevar | Iran | Western Asia | 30 | 98 | 1112 | | |
| Kalyan minaret | Bukhara | Uzbekistan | Central Asia | 45.6 | 150 | 1127 | Preserved | |
| Minaret of Jam | Shahrak District | Afghanistan | South Asia | 65 | 213 | 1194 | Endangered | In UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger |
| Kutubiyya Mosque Minaret | Marrakesh | Morocco | North Africa | 77 | 253 | 1195 | Preserved | |
| Qutub Minar | Delhi | India | South Asia | 72.5 | 238 | 1311 | Preserved | Tallest minaret made of bricks(marble and red sandstone). |
| 5 Musalla Minarets of Herat | Herat | Afghanistan | South Asia | 55 | 180 | 1417 | Endangered | Only 5 of original 20 minarets remain. |
| Menara Kudus Mosque Minaret | Kudus Regency | Indonesia | Southeast Asia | 18 | 59 | 1549 | | |
| Great Mosque of Banten Minaret | Serang | Indonesia | Southeast Asia | 24 | 78 | 1632 | | |
| Eger minaret | Eger | Hungary | Central Europe | 40 | 131 | 17th century | Preserved | One of three surviving minarets of Ottoman rule in Hungary. |
| Hiran Minar | Sheikhupura | Pakistan | Asia | 110 | 330 | 17th century | Endangered | Mughal Empire |