Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar

In the central area of the ancient city of Sultan Kala in Merv, it stands the monumental mausoleum. The order to build its own crypt gave outstanding Seljuk ruler – Ahmad Sanjar. The name of the tomb is very poetic – „House of Death“. In the 1157 where he found eternal rest. The Mongol invaders in 1221 destroyed the metropolis and Merv partially tomb of Sultan Sanjar. Royal remains hidden prudent approximate. Since then, the mausoleum is empty, and the ashes of the Sultan disappeared without a trace.

 

38-meter brick building resembles a parallelogram. At the upper edge extends a veranda with oriental arches, it is decorated with carvings and lattice designs. Above is an additional level of review with arched openings. It serves as a support for the dome. Its lower part is a series of small eastern windows. They provide additional lighting dome space. The decor inside of the dome includes eight-pointed star and its surrounding unconventional pattern of intersecting lines. The building entrance leads decorated with stylized arched gate. The remaining walls are smooth structure. To ensure durability, the ancient builders have laid out a very thick walls – about five meters.

 

In the 1990s, it began to restore the mausoleum because of it while leaving only the outer walls with the failure of the dome.