In the upper part of the minaret's octagonal base we can find a dedicatory text in the Kufi script:
He, Amir4, the head of the troops [al-Isfahsalar5],
sayyid6, the great lord who supports [faith and state],
just, / the pillar of the state and faith, / the helper of Islam and Muslims, / the Amir of Khorasan Abu Saad / Sungur ibn Ahmad Badram (?) ibn al-Kumach (?),
sacrificed [funds] in order to be close to Allah the Almighty
[for the construction of] these mosques and minarets.
What do these titles mean?
4 Amir (Arabic - giving orders, head) - the head of troops, commander. The first four successors (Caliphs) of the Prophet were referred to as Amir al-Muminin (Amir of the faithful). During the Umayyad dynasty, Amir was the head of large units of troops in the caliphate. Usually he was responsible for the control of a conquered area. Under the Abbasids, the title Amir was awarded to local rulers (for example, the Saffarids, Ghaznavids and Buvids) who recognized the supreme authority of the caliph; in the 10th century, they were also called sultans. Later (in the late 10th and early 11th centuries), the title Amir was also given to the heads of tribal associations and heads of military units.
5 Also "sipahsalar". A Persian term associated with the heads of military formations, commanders. 1) Under the Samanids, it meant the highest military title. 2) Under the Karakhanids, it was given to military leaders and could mean "head of troops" or "leader of troops" and so on. It was used simultaneously with the Turkic term "suvbashi" (head of water distribution).
6 Sayyid (Arabic - Lord). 1) The title attributed to the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Before Islam, it was used by the Arabs as the title of an elected head of the tribe. 2) Lord, leader, head.
Read more about inscriptions on archaeological monuments in the Surkhandarya region in the book-album “Surkhandarya” from the “Architectural Epigraphy of Uzbekistan”( pp. 32-33.) series.
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