Herat and the Minaret of Jam: a Silk Road guide

Herat: Afghanistan's Silk Road jewel

Herat is the country's most refined city, a Persian-flavoured Silk Road capital of poets, tilework and glassblowers near the Iranian border. It kept its arts alive through every empire that passed through, and its Great Mosque ranks among the most beautiful in the Islamic world. From Herat, the wild central route runs to one of Afghanistan's great secrets, the Minaret of Jam.

The Great Mosque of Herat

Region

Western Afghanistan, near Iran

Known for

The Great Mosque, the Citadel, saffron, glass

Don't miss

The Minaret of Jam, as an expedition

Time needed

Two days for the city, more for Jam

Getting there

Flight or road from Kabul

The Citadel of Herat

The Qala Ikhtyaruddin, the citadel, rises on mud-brick walls that trace back some two thousand years, to the era of Alexander. Restored and open, it gives you the whole city from its ramparts and a small museum inside.

The Great Mosque

The Friday Mosque, Masjid-e Jami, is the beating heart of Herat. Its courtyard blazes with blue and turquoise tile, and a working tile workshop on site still cuts and fires the pieces by hand, the same way it has for centuries.

The Musalla complex and its minarets

Just north of the old city stand the surviving minarets of the Musalla complex, built in the 15th century under Queen Goharshad of the Timurid court. Several lean at alarming angles, one held up by cables, and they are all the more moving for it.

Gazargah, saffron and the bazaars

On the edge of town, the Gazargah shrine honours the poet and saint Ansari in a garden of calm. In the bazaars you will find Herat's famous saffron, its blown glass and its silks, all worth carrying home.

The Minaret of Jam

Two hundred kilometres and around fifteen hours of hard driving east of Herat, a 12th-century minaret stands alone in a river gorge. The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage site, twice the height of Herat's minarets, ringed by Ghurid ruins and almost no infrastructure at all. Travellers who reach it call it one of the most powerful archaeological experiences of their lives, precisely because it feels like a genuine discovery. We run it as a planned expedition, not a day trip.

What travellers ask us about Herat

What is Herat famous for?

Its Great Mosque, the Citadel, the leaning Musalla minarets, saffron and glassblowing, and its long life as a Silk Road city of poets and artists.

Can you visit the Minaret of Jam?

Yes, as an expedition. It sits in a remote gorge around fifteen hours by road east of Herat, with almost no infrastructure, so we organise it carefully as part of a longer trip.

Is Herat worth visiting?

Very much. Herat is the country's most refined city and its Great Mosque is one of the finest in the Islamic world.

How far is the Minaret of Jam from Herat?

Around fifteen hours of driving through the central mountains, which is exactly why so few people reach it.

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Contacts

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Unique Afghanistan