Mausolea of two Askhab

The most impressive of the Timurid monuments are part of an important place of religious pilgrimage at the southern edge of Sultan Kala. To get here, take the northward-bound road to the west of the final ice-house, turn left before you reach the line of city walls, and follow the road through a large area of cemetery. You can also reach this place by a track running from close by the Greater Kyz Kala. You are making for a reconstructed complex centred around the mausolea of two Askhab, or companions of the Prophet. The two black marble cenotaphs mark the tombs of Al Hakim Ibn Amr Al Jafari and Buraida Ibn Al Huseib Al Islami. They lie in modern brick-built mausolea, with low domes. Behind the two mausolea are a pair of heavily reconstructed Timurid iwans, built to honour the tombs of the Askhab. The mausolea are beautifully framed by the arched iwans behind them. The internal walls of the latter are pleasantly decorated with blue and turquoise tiles, in geometric designs.

In front of the Askhab complex is a water cistern, probably built at around the same time as the iwans, but still in use. Above ground, only a shallow dome and a large arched doorway on the western side arc visible. Uneven stone steps lead down to the water. The doorway, decorated with floral-patterned stucco, dates from the 19th century.