Karabaghlar Mausoleum

In the village of Karabaghlar, located 30 kilometers from Nakhchivan, lies one of the most beautiful mausoleums in the entire South Caucasus.

Among the most significant ancient structures of Nakhchivan are the tower mausoleums of the “Nakhchivan-Maragha school,” primarily built between the 11th and 14th centuries, during the dawn of Turkic dominance. Some attribute their prototype to the Qawus Tower in Iran, while others reference the long-lost martyria of ancient Armenia. Similar structures can also be found in the marshes of the Syr Darya, from where the Seljuks arrived a millennium ago. The oldest tower mausoleums stand in ruins in ancient cities like Palmyra.

The Nakhchivan mausoleums typically feature two levels: an underground tomb with a ceiling window leading to a high hall. Their towers can be either round or polygonal, with roofs that are flat, conical, or tent-like, reminiscent of the structures from the Golden Horde. The most renowned local architect is Memar Ajami.

However, little is known about the mausoleum in Karabaghlar: its age, the name of its architect, and even the identity of the individual interred within remain a mystery. It is believed to have been constructed between the 12th and 14th centuries, with its origins linked to the Atabegs of Azerbaijan. Notably, an inscription on its walls mentions a noblewoman from the Ilkhanid era—Jahan Gudi Khatun.

The mausoleum takes the form of a cylinder with twelve semi-circular facets. The tower, which has a circular interior, reaches a height of 30 meters. Located 30 meters to the west of the mausoleum are two minarets, each with a square base. These minarets, part of the ensemble from the 12th century, feature square lower sections adorned with turquoise glazed brick decorations. Inside, both minarets contain spiral staircases.

The Karabaghlar mausoleum consists of two parts: an underground burial chamber and an above-ground memorial structure. This structure reflects the essential characteristics of tower mausoleums, presenting a cylindrical form with twelve semi-cylindrical facets that rest on a stone foundation. These semi-cylindrical facets are significant from an engineering perspective—they not only give the building a fortress-like appearance but also reduce its overall volume. The architectural composition is defined by four portals oriented towards the cardinal directions, each featuring an entrance.

All external walls are adorned with bands of fine glazed turquoise bricks, forming large squares against a reddish background. Inside each square, the same turquoise bricks highlight the words “Allah” and “Bismillah” (meaning “in the name of Allah”) in Kufic script, making the word “Allah” appear more than 200 times across the surface of the building.

At the entrance, there is a small lapidarium featuring stone ovens and millstones.

The Karabaghlar mausoleum is one of the largest, standing at 30 meters tall, and importantly, there are no other buildings of such a twelve-petal form in the South Caucasus.

It is particularly striking from the base, transforming into a column that seems to support the heavens. The ornamentation on the walls is not merely decorative; here, the word “Allah” is echoed 200 times, or more accurately, the mantra “Bismillah”—“in the name of Allah.” A similar design is found in the “Allah-Allah” mausoleum in the mainland city of Bard, the ancient capital of Caucasian Albania and Lowland Karabakh. This mausoleum was constructed in the 1320s by Ahmad ibn Ayub al-Hafiz from Nakhchivan, prompting reflections on the origins of this tower as well.