Dar mausoleum

Dar mausoleum — a historical-architectural monument located in the village of Darkənd, Ordubad district. Vasili Sısoyev and İsa Əzimbəyov, who studied the inscription that was on the mausoleum but later lost, indicate that it was built in 1487–1488 by Sheikh ibn Cühənna. The Dar mausoleum is situated on a small hill descending to the Araz River, 1.5 km south of the village center. Previously there were three mausoleums side by side on the hill, but two of them have completely collapsed and did not reach our time, and one is in a ruined state.

The Dar mausoleum differs fundamentally from other brick mausoleums spread across the territory of Azerbaijan in terms of its volumetric solution, the decoration of its façades, and the shape of the bricks used in the decoration.

The Dar mausoleum has a two-tiered structure. The lower tier of the mausoleum serves as a crypt and is below ground level. The above‑ground part of the mausoleum is a regular octagonal prism with a height of 5.15–5.20 metres. On top of the prism a long drum was placed, whose upper part was finished with a small dome. The total height of the mausoleum from the ground is 8.0–8.20 metres.

History and research

V. M. Sısoyev and İ. Əzimbəyov, who studied the inscription that was on the mausoleum but later lost, indicate that it was built in 1487–1488 by Sheikh ibn Cühənna. I. L. Vartanesov, who studied the architectural features of the mausoleum in detail, although he did not see the inscription, suggests that based on the overall architectural characteristics, as well as the construction technique and materials, the building could have been constructed approximately in the 14th–15th centuries.

In the village of Dar, the mausoleum was inspected at the end of the 19th century by Gevont Alişan and in the early 20th century by Vasili Sısoyev. S. V. Ter‑Avetisyan also mentions this mausoleum in his scientific work dedicated to the settlement of Xarabagilan.

The village of Darkənd, located at the foot of the Karabakh mountain range on the bank of the Gilanchay, is situated 25 kilometres (16 miles) from the city of Ordubad and beside the Iravan–Julfa railway line. The village is bounded to the south by Aşağı Aza and to the north by Yuxarı Aza villages. All three villages were formed on the basis of a settlement type called Azat, recorded in the 10th‑century Catholic Khachik’s kondak. When mentioning the monuments of this area, G. Alişan writes: “It seems to me that these three villages together occupy the area of an older and larger village named Azat. Azat, together with Kiran, formed one of the circles of ancient Qoxt.”

Because an ancient Xarabagilan settlement, which combines the remains of numerous civil and public buildings and is surrounded by fortress walls and towers, is located 3–4 km north‑east of Yuxarı Aza village, this area has attracted great interest for research since the 19th century.

Various ancient objects obtained during numerous trial excavations carried out in different periods have proven that the history of these sites extends back to sufficiently ancient times.

The Dar tomb is located 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mile) south of the village centre, on a small hill descending to the Aras River. Although three tombs once stood side by side on the hill, two of them have completely collapsed and have not survived to our time, while one remains in a ruined condition. It is possible to formulate ideas about the architectural features of the two collapsed tombs based on the scattered brick and stone remains of their foundations and monuments in the area.

According to information given by S. V. Ter-Avetisyan, the best-preserved of the three tombs in the village of Dar was sold by the village imam to the residents of Aşağı Aza village for 10 rubles, and the residents of Aşağı Aza dismantled the tomb and used its bricks to build a caravanserai near the collapsed bridge.

Architectural features

Comparing the foundation remains of the two collapsed tombs that have survived to the present with the architectural features of the tomb that has survived, I. L. Vartanesov assumes that all three possessed similar architectural characteristics. V. M. Sisojev notes that one of the collapsed tombs was hexagonal in plan, but also writes that the interior layout of the surviving tomb is "completely round," which is not correct. In fact, the tomb has an octagonal plan with a diameter of 1.65 m internally and 2.7 m externally.

Sardaba

The Dar tomb has a two-part structure. The first part of the tomb serves as a sardaba, is located below ground level, and is currently filled with sand and earth. Thanks to the small tromps that have survived to the present, it can be said that the sardaba part also has an octagonal plan.

On the sides of the tomb facing the direction of light there are entrances that extend through the entire depth of the platform. The walls of the sardaba are 1.90 m thick, built of stone with a lime‑mortar solution, and rise up to one metre above ground level. The portion of the sardaba that protrudes above ground serves as a platform for the second part of the tomb and is faced externally with large stones. Inside, the tomb is built of square bricks.

There are ventilation openings of 18–20 cm diameter on the podium a little below the floor of the upper tier. The remnants of wooden fibers left on the inner surface of the holes indicate that wooden bars were used to support walls that had not dried during construction.

Above‑ground part

The above‑ground part of the tomb has a regular octagonal prism shape with a height of 5.15–5.20 meters. The top of the long barrel placed on the prism was finished with a small dome. The total height of the tomb from the ground was equal to 8.0–8.20 meters.