Minaret

A minaret (/ˌmɪnəˈrɛt, ˈmɪnəˌrɛt/; Arabic: منارة, romanized: manāra, or Arabic: مِئْذَنة, romanized: miʾḏana; Turkish: minare; Persian: گل‌دسته, romanized: goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (adhan) from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can have a variety of forms, from thick, squat towers to soaring, pencil-thin spires.