Mausoleum of Kara Koyunlu emirs


The Mausoleum of Kara Koyunlu emirs or Mausoleum of Turkmen emirs, also known as Emir Pir-Hussein Mausoleum, is a Turkmen mausoleum erected in 1413 and located in the village of Argavand, Ararat Province, on the outskirts of the Armenian capital Yerevan.
The mausoleum is tomb of Emir Saad - the chieftain of the Turkic Saadlu tribe, who had accompanied Timur from Central Asia. The tomb was restored and ceremonially reopened to the public in 2002.

Architecture

The Kara Koyunlu mausoleum has a decagonal plan. Each of the monument's façades extend from the base of the tower until midway up the dome. Architecturally, it is divided into three sections; a lower section with an entrance, a middle section with two windows and decorative elements, and an upper section consisting a dome. The main body of the tower is constructed of tuff stone, while brick was used as the underlying material for the construction of the dome.
Decorative elements include a blue and turquoise glazed ceramic tile trim that is still visible along the upper portion of the tower, just below the base of the dome and above an inscription. Below the tile trim is some decorative molding, while a frieze in bas-relief encircles the top portion of the funerary tower is inscribed in Arabic and begins with a famous sura from the Quran. It then goes on to commemorate Emir Pir-Hussein, the son of Sa'ad. The inscription says:
There is a single entrance into the mausoleum's interior. Two small rectangular windows are located in the north and south façades, centered between the upper and lower portions of the tower.

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