Minaret Construction

A minaret is the most demanding vertical element in any building. The shaft, tapering with height, is designed less by its own weight than by wind load and seismic action, and each şerefe creates an abrupt discontinuity in the section. Minaret work therefore requires formwork and structural design to be thought through together.

Zahan İnşaat casts the minaret shaft in situ with modular formwork of its own manufacture. Because we make the formwork ourselves, details such as chamfers, flutes and muqarnas are not improvised on site — they come off the formwork face. This is the method we used on the minarets at Ordu Kayabaşı, Gaziantep Zahide and Samsun Atakum.

What parts make up a minaret?

Knowing the terminology also makes a quotation easier to read. From the bottom up, the parts run as follows:

• Base — the lower block, usually square in section, that carries the minaret.
• Transition block (pabuç) — the chamfered part that takes the section from the base into the shaft.
• Shaft — the main cylindrical or polygonal section, tapering upwards.
• Şerefe — the balcony from which the call to prayer is given; the muqarnas ring and the balustrade are worked here.
• Upper shaft (petek) — the narrow section between the şerefe and the cap.
• Conical cap — the conical finish, clad in lead, copper or zinc.
• Finial (alem) — the crescent and spike at the very top.

Cast in situ or precast?

Both methods are sound when correctly executed; site conditions decide which one applies.

• In situ — the shaft is continuous, so there are no joints, and the freedom to work motifs is high. It is the advantage on tight or sloping plots where crane access is limited.
• Precast (segmental) — shortens the time on site, but the anchorage and joint details at the connections must be flawless. It is preferred on level plots a crane can reach.
• Zahan İnşaat works predominantly in situ; because formwork manufacture is in-house, producing formwork tailored to the project dimensions adds no extra cost.

Repair and strengthening of an existing minaret

Where a minaret has been damaged by an earthquake or by the passing years, demolition and rebuilding is often not the only option. Once the crack pattern on the shaft has been mapped, the load-bearing capacity can be recovered with epoxy injection, carbon fibre wrapping and renewal of the şerefe ring. Carbon fibre wrapping is particularly effective on slender elements such as minarets, because it adds flexural and shear capacity without enlarging the section.

What the scope covers

• Single, double and triple-şerefe minarets
• Shaft section sized for wind and seismic loading
• In-situ base, shaft and şerefe construction
• Upper shaft, conical cap, finial and lightning protection