The 800-year-old Minaret of Jam is in danger of a total collapse as devastating floods have hit Ghor province in North-west of Afghanistan.

The devastating flash floods hit the province on Wednesday with photographs being circulated on social media purportedly showing the historic Minaret’s vicinity is covered with water and mud.

According to reports, the river located close to the Minaret of Jam has overflown its banks, posing a serious risk to the historic Minaret.

The observers are saying that the collapse of the Minaret would be another major blow to the heritage properties of the country after the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas if the officials did not pay immediate attention to protect the Minaret from flash floods.

The Minaret of Jam is located in Ghor province, Afghanistan, around 200km east of Herat, at the confluence of the Huri Rud and Jam Rud rivers.

Probably built between 1163 and 1203 during the reign of the Ghurdi sovreign Ghyias-ud-Din, its first rediscovery dates back to 1944, when the Minaret is mentioned in an article published by the Afghan History Society in the journal Anis, according to UNESCO.

The Minaret of Jam was included in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Properties in Danger since 2002.