Minaret

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.