The Monar Jonban is an amazing construction in the western side of Isfahan, close to the Atashgah fire temple and its one of the well-known historical monuments of the city. Monar Jonban was constructed about 700 years ago. This building was completed by famous scientist and architect Bahāʾ al‐Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn al‐ʿĀmilī (also known as Sheikh Baha’i).
The structure features the most famous minarets in the city. Small brick towers rise some 6 meters above the Porch. The minarets are elegantly ornamented with lovely but unpretentious brickwork. Narrow spiral staircases lead to the summits of the minarets, which are pierced by open arches. The iwan and porch were built in Mongolian style, the tiling also dates back to the same time, but the shape of minarets indicates that they were added to the iwan at the end of the Safavid period.
The unique characteristic of this building is that a person can go inside the tower and make it shake with his own bare hands. Doing this will not only shake both minarets but also the entire building, without causing any damage to the building.
For a long time, scientists wondered why the minarets shake. The mysterious architecture of this building still remains unclear and questionable. Monar in Persian means minaret and Jonban means shaking. This remarkable structure is carefully designed, the weight distribution, height to width ratio of the minarets and the dimensions of the minarets to the iwan’s ratio, all play a role in the shaking of the minarets.
There is also a beautiful garden and a small coffee shop available. There is a famous ice cream shop near Monar Jonban called Iman and locals consider it the best in Isfahan. I recommend its traditional saffron ice cream and enjoy tasting one of the most delicious types of ice cream in the world.
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