Il Arslan Mausoleum

Location of the monument: the Köneürgenç district of Daşoguz province.

Era of the monument: 12th century AD

"The monuments built in the city of Köneürgenç are original exemplars that remain on the national proud path of our people. The clusters of Il-Arslan, Tekesh, Najmeddin Kubra, Sultan Aly, the Khan of Töre beg, Piryar Weli, the tower of Gutly Temir and other monuments at this place astonish with unique forms that do not repeat one another."

First President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Turkmenbashi

Although this mausoleum has until now been associated by the local population with the name of Fahreddin Razi, in fact it belongs to the Khwarezm ruler Il Arslan. Indeed, Fahreddin Razi lived for a period in Urgench due to his religious preaching activity. However, because the Khwarezmians, in their religious doctrine as well as in the philosophical stream consisting of reason and will, opposed the scholar Fahreddin Razi, he moved to the city of Hyrat. He died there in the year 606 (1208) and was also buried there. His tomb in the city of Hyrat in present‑day Uzbekistan is well known.

Architectural data force the dating of the mausoleum to the end of the 12th century, or even to its middle. The shape of the dome, the architectural ornamentation and the masonry make it possible to associate it with the name of some very important and high‑rank person of Urgench of that time. Such a person at that period could only be the ruler Tekesh’s uncle, the Khwarezmshah Il Arslan (1156‑1172).

The smaller, but very richly decorated portal of the Aramgah is oriented to the east. The portal and the two windows above it are surrounded by ornamental motifs forming shapes of the letter “P” and various lines. It is inscribed with an Arabic script called “islimi”, and the letters are adorned with motifs of “kädi gül” and “burç gül”.

The place where the tomb's dome begins is built with twelve arches. The dome's stone is covered with green glazed bricks. The green glazed bricks are interspersed with yellowish bricks, forming a pattern that evokes the sea waves thrown into the sky. The twelve-arched support that holds up the dome is also faced with glazed bricks. The top and bottom of those bricks are again faced with green and yellowish brick fragments in a “mosaic” pattern. Four windows are placed on the four sides of the twelve-arched support.

The peculiarity of this monument is not only that twelve bricks and a copper joint are removed, but also that it is adorned with fine carvings. The eastern wall is the façade of this monument. If after the 12th century, to specially highlight the façade, i.e., the main side of a monument, one of the four walls is raised higher, a vaulted passage is made in that wall, and such a wall is also called “peştak”, this method has not yet been used in Il Arslan’s mausoleum. In the discussed building, its façade is revealed only with decorations. With this feature, Il Arslan’s tomb becomes a unique example of its time in the history of Central Asian architecture, occupying a special place.