MERV: AN OASIS CAPITAL IN THE ANCIENT PARADISE - Tourism in Central Asia: Cultural Potential and Challenges - page 141

YUSUF HAMADANI MAUSOLEUM COMPLEX

The mausoleum complex at the north-east of Sultan Kala is composed of
the square shaped tomb of Hodja Yusuf Hamadani, who was among the
important religious and scientific persons of his era, and two mosques,
the first one being built in the 16th century by Timurids, and the second
by Guljamal Khan in 1890 (Fig. 15). The body of Hodja Yusuf Hama-
dani, who died in a place called Balin, was transferred to this tomb built
during the Seljuk period. The tomb, which was thought destroyed during
the Mongol invasion, was completely renovated in 1990. However, the
two mosques retain their authenticities (Sayan, 1999). The other tombs
that can be visited around Merv are the tombs of Turkan Khatun (Sultan
Sanjar's wife), which is known as Kyz Bibi, Imam Bekr, Hudayi Nazar
Evliya, Imam Shaafi, Abdullah İbn Buraidah, and Kok Gumbaz.

FIGURE 15 Yusuf Hamadani Mausoleum Complex, Timurid period and later (Sayan,

1999).

ICE HOUSES

The remains of three structures exist between Sultan Kala and Abdullah
Khan Kala, which the locals call the “tandoor of Hacı Melik” due to their
resemblance to the specific oven built under the earth (Fig. 16). Made out
of adobe and conic shaped, the biggest of these was built in the 12th-13th
centuries, and others in the 15th century, and they were used to store snow
(Sayan, 1999).