The Two Magical Towers of Kharraqan

Long, long ago, almost one thousand years ago, two amazing towers stood proudly on the open plains of Qazvin in Iran.

People called them the Kharraqan Twin Towers. They stood only about 29 metres apart, like two best friends who always wanted to stay together.

The older tower was built in 1068, and the younger one was finished about 25 years later, in 1093. Both were built during the time of the Seljuks, a powerful dynasty that ruled parts of Iran.

But these were not ordinary towers. They were built as tombs, and their walls were covered with beautiful brick patterns.

A Tower Made of Shapes

Imagine walking toward the towers and looking closely at their walls. You would discover something amazing!

The builders used more than sixty different kinds of brick patterns. There were stars, zigzags, arches, squares, and other wonderful geometric shapes.

It was almost like the builders had turned the towers into a giant brick puzzle!

That is why people sometimes call the Kharraqan Towers a “museum of Iranian brickwork.”

The towers were shaped like eight-sided stars, or octagons. Each side gave the builders a new space to decorate with different patterns.

The Secret Inside the Towers

The builders also had a clever idea for the roofs.

The towers originally had double-shell domes. This meant there were two layers to the dome: an inner part and an outer part. The two layers helped the builders create a strong structure while also giving the towers an impressive shape.

Sadly, the outer domes disappeared over the centuries, partly because of earthquakes. But the inner domes are still there.

The eastern tower even has two spiral staircases, while the western tower has one.

Imagine climbing those tiny winding stairs almost a thousand years ago!

Beautiful Writing on the Walls

The towers were not decorated only with bricks.

Their walls also contain beautiful Kufic writing, an old style of Arabic calligraphy.

The writing includes verses from the Quran, carefully placed around the towers.

On the eastern tower, the word “Allah” appears several times around the entrance.

So the towers were not only buildings—they were also places where art, writing, geometry, and faith came together.

A Secret Garden of Paintings

The eastern tower has another wonderful surprise.

Inside, the walls were covered with colorful paintings. The paintings show peacocks, stars, flowers, trees, birds, and a mosque lamp.

One special picture shows a tree of life, with birds sitting among its branches.

The peacocks and the tree were connected with ideas such as spring, paradise, and fertility.

The western tower is simpler inside and does not have the same collection of colorful paintings.

Who Built These Amazing Towers?

The towers even tell us the names of some of the people who built them.

The eastern tower has an inscription naming Mohammad ibn Makki al-Zanjani, while the western tower names Abol-Ma’ali ibn Makki al-Zanjani as its architect.

Because their names are so similar, historians think they may have been relatives, perhaps a father and son or two brothers.

How amazing! Even after hundreds of years, their names are still remembered because of the buildings they created.

Two Towers, One Wonderful Story

The Kharraqan Towers did not appear from nowhere.

Iran already had a long tradition of building tall brick tombs. Earlier buildings had experimented with round and polygonal shapes, brick decoration, domes, and beautiful inscriptions.

The Kharraqan builders took these older ideas and made them even more elaborate.

They combined bricks + shapes + writing + paintings + clever engineering to create something extraordinary.

And that is why, even after nearly 1,000 years, the Kharraqan Twin Towers still stand as a wonderful reminder of the creativity and skill of the people who built them.

If the towers could speak, they might say:

“Look closely! Every brick has a story.”