Garabaghlar Mausoleum

The Garabaghlar complex stands on open ground and consists of two parts of different dates: a pair of brick minarets joined by an arched portal, generally put in the twelfth century, and behind them a cylindrical mausoleum of the fourteenth, its drum divided into twelve half-round columns and faced in glazed turquoise brick spelling out repeated inscriptions. Restoration in the 2010s rebuilt the upper part. The tomb is unattributed, though it is usually associated with a Mongol-era noblewoman of the region.

History

The mausoleum was built in the first half of the 14th century as part of a complex with two minarets, which date from about the late 12th and early 13th centuries; a small portal joining the minarets carries the name of Qutui Khatun, thought to be the wife of the Ilkhan Abaqa Khan, and is also of the 14th century. Its style and building methods point to the reign of Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan, from 1319 to 1335 (Wikipedia, Garabaghlar Mausoleum).

The main sights

• The mausoleum - a cylindrical tomb of twelve engaged columns, faced in turquoise glazed brick.
• The inscriptions - kufic script worked into the glazed brickwork in repeating bands.
• The twin minarets - an earlier pair of brick towers joined by an arched portal.
• The setting - an isolated complex on open plain with mountains behind it.

When to go

April to June and September to October are comfortable. The glazed brick is at its best in low morning or evening light. Summer on this plain is severely hot with no shade.

Things to know

The 2010s restoration was extensive and the top of the tower is essentially new work, which is visible up close. There is nothing else at the site and the visit is short. The village around it is ordinary.

Nearby

Nakhchivan city is half an hour southeast, and the Ilandag peak is visible to the east.

Key facts