Restoration Of Erbil’s Choli Minaret: Preserving A Twelfth Century Landmark For Future Tourism In Iraq’s Kurdistan

Published on August 17, 2025

Erbil, nan bosom of nan Kurdistan Region of Iraq, is dotted pinch sites that susurration nan tales of empires that roseate and fell complete millennia. At nan centre of this surviving depository is nan awesome Choli Minaret, erstwhile called nan Muzaffariyya Minaret, its towering silhouette a silent witnesser to nan city’s mediaeval aureate age. Soon, a thoughtful restoration effort will begin, promising to statement up nan monument’s crumbling chromatic pinch nan aforesaid attraction nan builders erstwhile knew. The inaugural is overmuch much than a preservation job; it is simply a span linking yesterday to a tomorrow that hopes to invited galore much visitors, each eager to consciousness nan weight of history beneath nan Kurdistan sky.

Origins successful nan Ayyubid Era

The Choli Minaret was constructed during nan norm of Sultan Muzaffar al-Din Gökböri, who governed from 1190 to 1232 AD. This era was marked by architectural maturation and taste improvement successful Erbil, and nan minaret primitively formed portion of a expansive mosque complex. Today, it remains nan sole surviving constituent of that mosque, a testament to nan craftsmanship and creation of nan Ayyubid period.

Rising astir 36 to 37 meters, nan building is recognised for its unique cylindrical shaft that emerges from an octagonal base. Decorative brickwork, geometric patterns, and Kufic inscriptions of belief value item nan artistry of its builders. These features person allowed nan minaret to go 1 of nan astir identifiable historical silhouettes successful Erbil, located not acold from nan UNESCO-listed Erbil Citadel.

The Story Behind nan Name “Choli”

Though historically tied to Sultan Gökböri, nan minaret became popularly known arsenic “Choli”, a Kurdish connection meaning “desolate” aliases “empty”. This sanction emerged because, for centuries, nan minaret stood unsocial successful an open, undeveloped landscape. Once nan mosque astir it was lost, nan building remained an isolated landmark, a lonely fig connected Erbil’s skyline. Over time, however, nan metropolis grew astir it, and Choli transformed from an isolated relic into an integral portion of nan modern city’s taste scene.

Recent Study and Czech Expertise

The upcoming renewal was prepared aft a elaborate study carried retired successful early May 2025 by a squad of Czech conservation experts. Their appraisal identified nan information of nan structure, noted areas of concern, and outlined measures required for semipermanent preservation. This aforesaid squad had been progressive successful earlier efforts almost 2 decades ago, providing continuity and valuable acquisition pinch nan tower’s unsocial needs. Their domiciled is cardinal to ensuring that nan minaret will beryllium preserved utilizing some method precision and humanities sensitivity.

Planned Renovation Measures

The renewal will beryllium multi-layered, addressing some structural and artistic aspects of nan site:

• The obstruction presently surrounding nan monument will beryllium replaced pinch a caller building to supply amended protection while blending much harmoniously pinch nan site.
• Surveillance cameras will beryllium installed to unafraid nan landmark against vandalism aliases accidental damage.
• Cracks successful nan brickwork, caused by hundreds of years of weathering, will beryllium cautiously filled to forestall erosion and protect nan tower’s stability.
• Additional conservation methods will beryllium utilized to support some information and ocular quality, ensuring nan minaret remains an appealing attraction.

Engineers person confirmed that nan minaret is structurally sound, contempt its flimsy tilt. The thin has not changed since nan past restoration, and nary consequence of illness has been reported.

Tourism and Cultural Appeal

Erbil has progressively been promoted arsenic a taste tourism destination, wherever visitors tin acquisition a uncommon operation of surviving modernity and heavy history. Sites for illustration nan Erbil Citadel and nan Choli Minaret are basal to this narrative. With nan restoration project, nan minaret will beryllium enhanced arsenic a focal constituent for visitors.

Plans are besides being considered to restrict aliases reroute conveyance postulation astir nan area. This would protect nan building from nan vibrations of dense postulation and trim pollution. Moreover, proposals are nether reappraisal for creating landscaped gardens and adding accusation boards, transforming nan tract into an charismatic abstraction for exploration and learning. Such changes would not only protect nan building but besides amended nan visitant experience.

Integration into a Larger Heritage Zone

The renewal of nan Choli Minaret is besides portion of a broader imagination for Erbil’s historical fabric. Urban planners and taste officials person expressed liking successful linking nan minaret pinch nan adjacent Erbil Citadel and nan Arab district, creating a unified pedestrian practice corridor. Such an inaugural could move nan area into a lively taste hub, complete pinch greenish spaces, intermezo zones, and acquisition facilities. This would let locals and visitors alike to prosecute pinch nan layered history of nan metropolis while enjoying modern amenities.

Unique Architectural Features

One of nan astir singular elements of nan Choli Minaret is its interior design. Unlike galore towers of its kind, it was built pinch 2 doors and 2 abstracted spiral staircases. This uncommon characteristic highlights nan sophistication of its original architects and sets it isolated arsenic an architectural marvel of nan mediaeval Islamic world. Preserving these specifications during restoration ensures that visitors will not only spot nan building arsenic a awesome of nan past but besides admit its innovation.

A Symbol for Erbil’s Identity

Restoring nan Choli Minaret intends much than conscionable masonry and scaffolding. It’s a committedness to nan stories that style history, to nan crafts and cultures that springiness nan metropolis its soul, and to nan benignant of tourism that respects alternatively than exploits. By safeguarding this tower, Erbil ensures that nan representation of Sultan Gökböri’s reign, nan delicate handiwork of 12th-century artisans, and nan resilient heartbeat of a metropolis that has agelong welcomed nan world will support echoing for generations to come.

With restoration group to commencement shortly, nan Choli Minaret is fresh to support serving arsenic some an ancient monument and an progressive taste icon. Its slender silhouette will stay a cardinal portion of Erbil’s skyline and nan city’s ongoing communicative for generations yet to beryllium written.

[Image Source: Erbil Governorate Official Website]