The minaret is located in Khiva. The name Kalta-Minar is translated from Uzbek as a short minaret.
The Kalta Minar was conceived by the Khan of the Khiva Khanate, Muhammad Amin Khan, as the largest and tallest minaret in the Muslim world. According to his plan, the height of the minaret was supposed to be 70-80 meters, with a diameter sharply decreasing with height, which would make the minaret more durable. The diameter of its base is 14.2 meters.
Construction began in 1852, and in 1855, when the height of the minaret reached 29 meters, construction was suddenly stopped. According to the Khiva historian and writer Agakhi, the construction was not completed due to the death in 1855 of the initiator of the construction – Muhammad Amin Khan, who died during the battle near Serakhs.
In 1996-1997, the minaret was completely renovated. During the restoration, in particular, unique patterns and inscriptions were restored.
The Kalta Minar is known precisely for its incompleteness, as well as its unique decor. This is the only minaret completely covered with glazed tiles. The tiles are dominated by dark green, blue and white colors, and some patterns have a turquoise color. On the outer walls of the minaret there are inscriptions in the Nastalik letter, which is currently used only for the Persian language.
There are no such towers in the world anymore.
