Monar Jonban (Shaking Minarets)

🕰️When was it built?

The gravestone of Amu Abdollah gives the year of his death as 716 AH (1316), in the Ilkhanid era. The building began as an iwan over the grave, and the minarets were added later. The date on the stone should not be taken as the date of every part of the building.

🏛️What was it built for?

The building was made as a tomb and later became famous for its moving minarets. Karladan used to be a village outside the city on the road from Isfahan to Najafabad, but it is now a district of Isfahan. So Monar Jonban is some distance from the central sights of the city.

👀What you will see

• The central iwan stands over the grave, and two slender minarets rise on either side of its top.
• Lapis-blue tiles with a four-pointed star pattern and turquoise polygonal tiles are part of the decoration.
• The marble gravestone is decorated with Quranic verses, and the inscription above it gives Amu Abdollah's name and the date of his death.
• A small doorway and a spiral staircase led up to the roof, and a small garden surrounds the iwan.

💡Something interesting

The building is famous for the shaking that passes from one minaret to the other, but the movement does not stop at the second minaret: other parts of the building pick it up too. The minarets are light and slender, which makes the movement easier to see.

🎒Good to know before you go