Sultan Ali Mausoleum, Köneürgench, Turkmenistán
The Sultan Ali Mausoleum has neither rich stucco patterns, nor intricate Arabic inscriptions, nor walls and portals, decorated with majolica. This is because the building, aged over five centuries, was never completed. It was due to the constant internecine wars led by Turkmen khans, and to the invasion of Bukharian Abdullakhan to Khorezm. So, there was no time to complete it, though the mausoleum was intended for one of the most influential Turkmen khans of the time, who even owned Urgench during his lifetime.
However , these days the Sultan Ali Mausoleum is among the most visited tourist sites in Turkmenistan, mainly due to the vicinity of the mausoleum of the great Sufi and the founder of the Kubrawiya Order – Najmuddin-Kubra, a place of pilgrimage of Muslims from all over the world. The Sultan Ali Mausoleum is located not near, but just opposite it, and is connected with the famous mausoleum with a common courtyard, forming a single ensemble. A Muslim cemetery, functional up to date, has grown over the centuries around both buildings.
Epic Turkmenistan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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