Heritage · Erbil
Mudhafaria Minaret
A 36-metre 13th-century minaret standing alone in its own park — nearly all that survives of the mosque it once served.
At a glance
- Drive time
- 10 min
- Suggested visit
- 0.5 h
- Admission
- Free
- Best months
- Mar · Apr · May · Oct · Nov
The Mudhafaria Minaret is the surviving element of a mosque built between roughly 1190 and 1233 CE by a Turkoman prince of Erbil during the era of Salah ad-Din. It stands 36 metres tall on a high octagonal base topped by a tapering cylindrical shaft, decorated with bands of ornamental brickwork — a style that influenced later minarets across the region.
The minaret now stands alone in Minare Park, a small landscaped green space on the western side of the city built specifically to give it a fitting setting after the surrounding mosque structure was lost to time. It's a quick, self-contained stop — best combined with the citadel and bazaar rather than visited on its own.
Highlights
- 36-metre 13th-century minaret with decorative brick banding
- Built during the era of Salah ad-Din by a local Turkoman prince
- Set in its own small landscaped park, easy to pair with the citadel
Practical notes
Viewed from the surrounding park grounds; the minaret itself is not open for climbing.
Where it is
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