Page "Ghazni" Paragraph 10

Contemporary visitors and residents in Ghazni wrote with wonder of the ornateness of the buildings, the great libraries, the sumptuousness of the court ceremonies and of the wealth of precious objects owned by Ghazni's citizens.

Ghazni City is famous for its minarets built on a stellar plan.

They date from the middle of the twelfth century and are the surviving elements of the mosque of Bahramshah.

Their sides are decorated with intricate geometric patterns.

Some of the upper sections of the minarets have been damaged or destroyed.

The most important mausoleum located in Ghazni City is that of Sultan Mahmud.

Others include the Tombs of poets and scientists, such as the Tomb of Al Biruni.

The only ruins in Old Ghazni retaining a semblance of architectural form are two towers, about 43 m ( 140 ft ) high and 365 m ( 1, 200 ft ) apart.

According to inscriptions, the towers were constructed by Mahmud of Ghazni and his son.

For more than eight centuries the “ Towers of Victory ” monuments to Afghanistan ’ s greatest empire have survived wars and invasions, the two toffee-colored minarets, adorned with terra-cotta tiles were raised in the early 12th century as monuments to the victories of the Afghan armies that built the empire.