The designated area includes Berat castle, mosques, churches, and the Gorica bridge. The Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra are both well-preserved Ottoman towns, decorated with outstanding examples of kule: Balkan-Ottoman style tower houses.īerat has been particularly marked by the peaceful coexistence of Ottoman Islam with a large Christian minority. The Minaret was forgotten by the outside world until rediscovered in 1886 by Sir Thomas Holdich.

It is famous for its intricate brick, stucco and glazed tile decoration, which consists of alternating bands of kufic and naskhi calligraphy, geometric patterns, and verses from the Qur'an. The 65 metre high minaret, surrounded by mountains that reach up to 2400 meters, is built entirely of baked bricks. The 12th and 13th century Ghurids controlled not only Afghanistan, but also parts of eastern Iran, Northern India and parts of Pakistan. Jam is probably located at the site of the Ghurid dynasty's summer capital, Firuzkuh. The Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam represent the artistic creativity and mastery of structural engineering of the Ghurid civilization (1000-1220). In March 2001, the Afghan Taliban government ordered them to be demolished. They were probably erected in the 4th or 5th century. The two most prominent of these statues were standing Buddhas, measuring 55 and 37 meters high respectively, that were the largest examples of standing Buddha carvings in the world.

Many statues of Buddha were carved into the sides of cliffs facing Bamiyan city. The kingdom of Bamiyan was a Buddhist state positioned at a strategic location along the trade routes that for centuries linked China and Central Asia with India and the west. The Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley is an outstanding representation of the Buddhist art that resulted from the interaction between man and nature especially from the 1st to 13th centuries CE.

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