INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
a road that leads to Yazd in the central Iranian plateau.The monument was built in c
1055 for a local figure Amid ad-Din Shams ad-Daula and his wife, whose name is not known.According to Archnet, the tomb tower consists of an
octagonal chamber that sits on a low base with eight unequal sides and a tall, projecting muqarnas cornice.The chamber tapers inward on the
exterior so that the structure is wider at the bottom than it is below the cornice
The entrance to the chamber was located on the northeast side of the building.The structure is now domed, but the extension of the cornice
beyond this dome suggests that it was also capped by a pyramidal roof, as was customary for tombs in this region.The tomb is constructed
almost entirely of rubble masonry, with brick used only in the inscriptions and in the construction of the interior dome
The walls are left plain while the cornice and entrance receive most of the decorative treatment
The cornice of the monument is a three-tier muqarnas, which tapers outward
Below the muqarnas is a band of Kufic inscription in Arabic containing the name of the builder and the name of the person to whom it was
dedicated.The entry is set inside a deep niche crowned by a semi-vault and placed within a rectangular outer frame
The entrance is flanked by two columns, of which only the cavities remain
A band of niches, two on each side, decorates the walls below the drum
The transition to the drum is achieved with eight simple squinches located at the corners of the octagon
Four openings in the dome and a window on the side of the chamber illuminate the interior.Abarkuh is famed for its several historical
castles and fortresses as well as being home to a 4000-year-old cypress, which is inscribed on the National Heritage list
Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo described the tree as one of the most stunning cypress trees he had ever seen in Iran.Having
nearly all kinds of historical tombs, museums such as tomb towers, and rack-hewn tombs, Iran is heaven for cemetery enthusiasts and grave
hunters.It might seem odd, but cemeteries as bridges between the present and the past, and the living and the dead, have been drawing their
own fans both in groups and individuals, each having specific interests.A cradle of civilization, Iran is well soaked in history and
culture, and never disappoints cultural travelers with almost every taste, even ones interested in cemetery tourism.AFM
