Momine Khatun Mausoleum
Ten-sided brick tomb tower of 1186 by Ajami Nakhchivani, covered in geometric brickwork.
The tomb was raised in 1186 for Momine Khatun, wife of the Eldiguzid ruler Shamsaddin Eldaniz and mother of Atabek Jahan Pahlavan, who commissioned it. The architect Ajami ibn Abubakr Nakhchivani signed the work, and it is the only part of the Atabeg complex still standing. The plan is a decagon; below is a crypt, above a tower faced entirely in moulded brick. It now reaches about 25 metres, the original tent-shaped dome having been lost.
Each of the ten faces carries a different geometric lattice worked in cut brick and turquoise glazed insets, framed by bands of Kufic script. Verses from the Quran, including Surah Yasin, run around the building, while the main epitaph at the top is set out in large letters of blue marble. Inside, four circular medallions hold further ornament. The mausoleum has become the emblem of Nakhchivan and stands in a memorial park near the city centre, with the statue of the architect nearby.
Highlights
- Ten faces, each with a different cut-brick geometric pattern
- Signed in 1186 by the architect Ajami Nakhchivani
- Kufic inscriptions including verses of Surah Yasin
- Epitaph set out in large letters of blue marble
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