The Eger minaret (
Hungarian: Egri minaret or Kethüda-minaret)
is an
Ottoman era
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
tower located in
Eger
Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque build ...
city, northern
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. It is one of the most northern minarets left from
Ottoman rule
Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to:
Governments and dynasties
* Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924
* Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...
in Europe. The minaret is 40 metres (131 feet) high and built from red sandstone. It was built in the early 17th century as part of the Djami of Kethuda mosque
and used for the
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
call to prayer (
Adhan
Adhan ( ar, أَذَان ; also variously transliterated as athan, adhane (in French), azan/azaan (in South Asia), adzan (in Southeast Asia), and ezan (in Turkish), among other languages) is the Islamic call to public prayer (salah) in a mos ...
). The mosque no longer exists, but the minaret survives as a preserved monument of Hungary and a major tourist attraction of
Eger
Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque build ...
. There are 98 steps on the spiral staircase inside, which leads to a balcony at 26 meters from the ground offering unique views of the surrounding city.
Eger minaret is one of three surviving Ottoman era minarets in Hungary. It is the highest and the best preserved of them. The other two minarets are the
Érd minaret
The Érd minaret ( Hungarian: Érdi minaret) is an Ottoman era minaret tower situated in Érd near capital Budapest in Hungary. It is one of only three Ottoman era minarets still surviving in Hungary. The other two are the Eger minaret and the min ...
and the minaret of
Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque in
Pécs
Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...
.
In 2016, a Turkish Muslim resident of Eger was permitted to call the Muslim prayer from the minaret balcony after 327 years.
History
When exactly the minaret was constructed is still unknown and a number of theories exist about it.
The
Ottomans
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
took control of Eger city in 1596. Eger minaret is believed to have been built at the beginning of Ottoman rule in the early 17th century.
Djami of Kethuda mosque
The Eger minaret was built as a minaret of the Djami of Kethuda mosque
to call out the Islamic call to prayer five times a day for the faithful to come for congregational prayers. The mosque has been mentioned by
Evliya Çelebi
Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...
, who visited Eger in 1664 when it was under Ottoman rule.
![Irgalmasok kápolna - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Irgalmasok_k%C3%A1polna_-_panoramio.jpg)
The Ottomans were driven out of Eger in 1687 by an Austrian Imperial Army led by Charles of Lorraine. The mosque was converted into a Catholic church dedicated to St. Joseph after the Turkish rule. In 1726, the mosque premises was transformed into the Brothers of Mercy Hospital. The mosque served as the chapel of the hospital and the monastery. The mosque building was finally pulled down in 1841, and was replaced by the present St. Sebestyén's Martyrs' Church of Eger. The minaret was entered through the mosque and evidence on the minaret still indicate where it joined the mosque.
Not much details is known about the mosque during Ottoman time except for the brief note by Evliya Çelebi. However a more detailed description of the mosque can be constructed from later writings, after its conversion into a St. Joseph church. ''Gorove'' and later ''Ferenc Mészáros'' have left some descriptions of the former mosque building, when it was a church, along with the minaret. According to these, the mosque had a regular square plan except for a few minor architectural details. It was a meticulously assembled Turkish structure built in stone with carved windows and doors. It was made of the same reddish sandstone as the minaret and covered by a vaulted roof or dome according to Gorove. The main facade of the mosque had a courtyard surrounded by polished stone. The minaret formed an integral part of the mosque according to Ferenc Mészáros description.
Minaret Demolition Attempt
After Ottoman rule ended, an attempt was made to tear down the tower as a symbolic closure of the past.
After human force failed, an attempt was made pull it down using 400 oxen with ropes fixed to the structure. When the tower proved too resilient to demolition efforts it was allowed to remain after placing a cross on top of the surmounting crescent.
The Eger minaret is the only minaret remaining of an estimated 17 that were built in Eger during the 91-year Ottoman rule of the city. A 17th-century illustration of the city shows the abundance of minarets.
Preservation of Minaret
In the early 19th century the minarets roof, called the original dome, had collapsed as a result of a lightning strike. It deteriorated the condition of the tower. In 1829, a tin roof was placed on the tower by Archbishop Pyrker János László preserving it from the complete destruction.
In 1897, restoration work was carried out on the minaret by the National Committee of the Monuments according to plans of István Möller. The National Monumentary Inspectorate again carried out some minor conservation work in 1962.
In the past, the minaret was seen as a symbol of occupation. Today, it is a celebrated monument of the good relations between Hungary and Turkey.
In 2016, a Turkish national named Demir Hikmet was permitted to become the
muezzin
The muezzin ( ar, مُؤَذِّن) is the person who proclaims the call to the daily prayer ( ṣalāt) five times a day ( Fajr prayer, Zuhr prayer, Asr prayer, Maghrib prayer and Isha prayer) at a mosque. The muezzin plays an important r ...
(Caller) of the minaret and perform the
Adhan
Adhan ( ar, أَذَان ; also variously transliterated as athan, adhane (in French), azan/azaan (in South Asia), adzan (in Southeast Asia), and ezan (in Turkish), among other languages) is the Islamic call to public prayer (salah) in a mos ...
or Muslim call to prayer after 327 years. Demir Hikmet climbed the tower three times a week in a silk caftan and recited the call to prayer from the tower balcony.
The minaret was renovated again in 2018 due to deterioration in recent years which had greatly reduced its load-bearing capacity and placed the monument in danger. It was closed for visitors for during the renovation and opened again in Summer 2018. During the renovation expert had found ceramic dishes dating back to the Turkish era.
Architecture
![Eger - minaret - panoramio (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Eger_-_minaret_-_panoramio_%282%29.jpg)
Eger minaret is a 14 sided planed structure which is unusual and makes it very strong. It is built using carved reddish sandstone to a height of 40 metres (131 feet). There is a narrow spiral staircase in the interior with 97 steps leading to the minaret balcony.
The minaret balcony circling the tower is situated 26 meters up from the ground.
On the tower plinth a row of mirror fields with a repeating double-edged dwarf pattern run around. The entrance to the minaret is on the north side of the pedestal. It was originally not out in the open but the entrance was from within the mosque. The entrance to the tower has a semicircular closure. The space inside is small with a steep narrow stone staircase leading to the balcony. The balcony has a door with a semicircular closure, similar to the entrance. The balcony entrance faces the direction of
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
.
There minaret balcony bottom is also ornamented with a recessed overlapping circular belt of rings. It is again repeated around the tower roof with recessed overlapping rings of ornaments.
Tourism
The Eger minaret is a popular attraction for tourists in Eger. Tourist are allowed to climb the 97 steps to the Minaret balcony and view the panorama of surrounding city and Eger Castle. Those who suffer from claustrophobia and fear of heights are advised to be cautious in climbing the narrow staircase to the tower balcony.
Gallery
File:Eger - minaret - panoramio (1).jpg, Islamic stone artwork depressions on the tower base.
File:Eger - minaret - panoramio.jpg, Tower staircase entrance in 2011.
File:Minaret a Knézich Károly utcából nézve, jobbra a római katolikus templom (volt Irgalmasok temploma). Fortepan 83764.jpg, Eger minaret in 1935.
File:Eger, Minaret a Knézich Károly utcából nézve, jobbra a római katolikus templom (volt irgalmasok temploma). Fortepan 76913.jpg, Minaret of Eger in 1952.
File:Egri minaret és római katolikus templom.jpg, 2009 photo.
File:Eger Minaret in Eger, 2016 Hungary.jpg, 2016 photo.
See also
*
Eger
Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque build ...
*
Minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
*
Ottoman Hungary
Ottoman Hungary ( hu, Török hódoltság) was the southern and central parts of what had been the Kingdom of Hungary in the late medieval period, which were conquered and ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1541 to 1699. The Ottoman rule covered ...
*
List of oldest minarets
This article lists some but by no means all of the oldest known minaret towers in the world.
The oldest minaret still surviving is that of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia. It was constructed in 836 AD and is considered as the prototype f ...
References
{{Reflist
Buildings and structures in Eger
Minarets in Hungary
Towers in Hungary
Ottoman architecture in Hungary