Built during the Qian Long reign (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty, Sulaiman Minaret is three kilometers southeast of the town of Turpan. A tablet beside the minaret bears an inscription in the Han and Uygur languages. It was erected by Sulaiman, a ruler of Turpan, in memory of his father, Emin, during the mid-eighteenth century, so the structure is also called the Emin Minaret. The slim, round minaret is forty-four meters tall and was built of yellow bricks with flower patterns. The exquisitely formed minaret with its helmet-shaped top is one of the most famous examples of Muslim architecture in Xijiang. |
