Towers and minarets of Iran / Persia are on many itineraries of tours of Iran. We have visited many during our road trips. Towers used as lookouts, “lighthouses” for caravans and religious purposes were very common in ancient Persia. But few survive today because of the strategic value during war.

The Arabs who occupied Persia adopted many construction techniques used by Persians to build towers and minarets elsewhere in their empire.

Towers – also referred to as borj (Persian) or minarets (when part of a mosque) – were especially vulnerable to enemy destruction because of their strategic value as lookouts for the approaching enemy. The towers of a city were the first things an invading army targeted for destruction.

The engineering of the towers and minarets of Iran / Persia was advanced.  They had to withstand harsh weather, enemy attacks, and most importantly, the very frequent in Iran.