Karakhan mausoleum

The mausoleum of Karakhan (mausoleum of Aulie-ata) is an architectural monument of the 11th century in the Kazakh city of Taraz. Built over the grave of one of the representatives of the Karakhanid dynasty.

From the capsules and mausoleums of the ancient nomads, Islam has been taught since its inception, and the Karakhanid dynasty was born.

The mausoleum of the first time was carefully researched by the famous Soviet historian, art, archeologist Denike Boris Petrovich and named in his book "Ornaments in Central Asian Architecture" in 1982. An anti-religious museum has been set up.

According to local oral legends, the mausoleum was built over the grave of Karakhan, the founder of the Karakhanid dynasty, who was the first of the Turks to convert to Islam.

The inhabitants of the city could not accept that the walls and dome of the tomb were destroyed over time, as they saw the tomb as a sacred place. Tashkent architects were engaged in the restoration of the mausoleum, which was built on a medieval foundation, a typical example of Central Asian religious architecture. During the restoration, unfortunately, the medieval decorative facade design was irretrievably lost.

Only a few surviving terracotta bricks buried in the wall of the mausoleum and a few archaeological finds on the territory of the historical and cultural complex can tell us about the rich decoration of those times. However, written sources and photographs of the late XIX century captured the unique architectural and spiritual heritage of the ancient city of Taraz.

Archaeologist Taisiya Senigova, based on a photograph of the 1850s, describes the original appearance of the facade of the mausoleum. The mausoleum had originally a centric composition and was covered with a dome. The entrance to the early mausoleum was under a gently sloping pointed arch, which was highlighted by a wedge-shaped masonry and outlined with a brick laid flat. The arch rested on 3/4 of a column lined with paired bricks. In a similar way, a deep entrance was made, located behind an arched niche. The portal part was outlined with brick by slightly protruding U-shaped arches.

Karakhan Mausoleum

 

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