Salkhad minaret in the countryside of As-Suwayda … an important archaeological monument made of basalt stones is still standing in the city square

As-Suwayda - Sana

The minaret built by the Ayyubids and still standing in the city square of Salkhad, south of As-Suwayda, and built of basalt stones at a height of 12 meters, is one of the important archaeological monuments in this city, which received great attention in the Roman era, and most of its effects date back to the Ayyubid era, especially its ancient castle.

The delegate of the Department of Antiquities in the city of Salkhad, Duaa Muhanna, explained to SANA that the minaret, which is located in Al-Jalaa Square in the center of Salkhad city, was surrounded by residential houses on all sides, while it was bordered from the south by a mosque that relied on 24 arches whose stones were elegantly and accurately carved, and its door was directed towards the north. Next to it are two large nets, and in front of it are two water wells, next to each of them is a large stone jar.

Muhanna pointed out that the minaret rests on a base carved from basalt stone of large size, then it breaks with a convex tooth inward to narrow a little, then the carved stones of small size rise to successively height with a light red stone, followed by another height with a white stone, and so on.

She indicated that the minaret was designed in the form of a hexagon, meaning it has 6 faces, the width of one face is more than two meters, making its circumference more than 12 and a half meters approximately. A mihrab was also dug on each of these faces, noting that the minaret has a small door on the south side, whose width is 93 cm. Its height is just under two meters and its wall thickness is also 93 cm.

Muhanna pointed out that the ascender relies on a spiral staircase based on a 40 cm diameter stone axis, where this staircase with the axis forms one piece, and each step ends with a carved circular tail, which is part of the axis of which 46 valid pieces remain so far, which rise the visitor to the top of the minaret.

Suhail Hatoum