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Chehel Dokhtaran minaret
Chehel Dokhtaran minaret
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Province	Isfahan
Location
Location	Jouybareh district, Isfahan, Iran
Municipality	Isfahan
	Shown within Iran
Geographic coordinates	32°39′54″N 51°42′08″E / 32.665°N 51.702222°E
Architecture
Type	Minaret
Style	Razi
Completed	1112
Height (max)	40m

Chehel Dokhtaran minaret (Persian: مناره چهل دختران) is a historical minaret in Isfahan, Iran. It is located in the Jouybareh district of Isfahan. According to the kufic inscription on the minaret, it is built in 1112. It is the fifth oldest minaret in Iran, which has an inscription. There's a big window on the minaret, which faces the qibla. This feature does not exist in other minarets of Isfahan. There is a spiral staircase in the minaret, which leads to the top of it. This minaret is 40 meters high. Originally, the minaret was higher, but in the course of time its height has been decreased. The minaret towers over the city quarter and can be seen from the far distance, but it is difficult to reach it through the mazes of winding alleys and narrow streets.^[1]

Etymology

Chehel Dokhtaran in Persian means ' forty girls'. The origin of its meaning is unknown. The number 'forty' in the Iranian culture is used for exaggerating. Perhaps there was once a building beside it, which pertained exclusively to women and does not exist any more. The people of the Neighborhood call this minaret also Garland minaret. Garland was a British religious missionary, who came to Iran in the early 20th century and worked near the minaret.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b 'Hosseyn Yaghoubi (2004). Arash Beheshti (ed.). Rāhnamā ye Safar be Ostān e Esfāhān(Travel Guide for the Province Isfahan) (in Persian). Rouzane. p. 112. ISBN 964-334-218-2.