When Amr Ibn Al-As built the first minaret in Islam in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, he wanted to announce the adhan more clearly. Because the cities were growing and the sound from the mosque was getting harder to reach far.
For centuries, minarets have always been used in this way. Mosque officials used the minarets for azan and sela.
At first, small minarets were built for small mosques, but with the development of Islamic civilization and architecture, large and tall minarets began to be built. Minarets have always differed according to geographical differences and/or the expectations of the civilization that owns the country. The construction of minarets in the world reached its most mature period with the Ottoman Empire.
At first, the minaret was used for azan, salaam or communication, but after a while, it became an important symbol of the mosque and Islamic civilization. The fact that a town is an Islamic community has become evident with the mosque, that is, the minaret. As a matter of fact, the armies that attacked Islamic cities, especially the crusades, first wanted to destroy mosques and minarets.
We know that with the minarets becoming the symbol of Islam, they were built in the most beautiful way in accordance with the identity and texture of the cities. At the same time, minarets have always been built in the best way to show the power of the ruler who rules the country and the technical intelligence of the architect who built them. As a matter of fact, in the technique that Mimar Sinan applied in Selimiye Mosque, three balconies of the minaret are climbed by separate stairs and the one who climbs from each staircase does not see the other.
Today, with new technologies, it has become easier for you to be announced far away. Even though this function of minarets no longer exists, minarets are indispensable for Islamic society in terms of representing Islamic civilization and Islam.
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