The Kalyan Minaret in Bukhara, Uzbekistan is a beautiful building. Standing at 46 meters (151 ft) tall, the tower used to be part of a mosque, and the call to prayer would be given from the top. The mosque is long gone, but people still flock to see the tower today. Even Genghis Khan was a fan. When he ransacked the city in 1220, he liked the tower so much he ordered it should be left intact.There are 105 steps to the top of the tower, where you can look out over the city—or, alternatively, be thrown out to your death. That particular method of execution earned the minaret its nickname, “The Tower of Death.” Genghis himself is said to have killed people that way. One ruler had criminals sewed up in a sack before being tossed out so that they didn’t make a mess of the square below. The practice is said to have been going on as recently as 1920.One legend around the tower involves the wife of an unnamed ancient ruler. It’s said the wife gave charity to people behind her husband’s back, and when he found out, he ordered she be thrown to her death. The wife made a last request to be able to wear all of her clothes at once during the execution. When she was tossed to her doom, all of her skirts flared like a parachute and she drifted safely to the ground. Her husband was impressed by this display of cunning and she was pardoned, but we can’t help but think their relations may have been a little strained after that.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 00:01:26 +0000
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