Central Asian Parallels in the Memorial Architecture of Mukhshi

Abstract

The paper deals with the results of analysis of the layout of the Mokhshi city mausoleums, studied in the late 50s – early 60s of XX century. Five mausoleums have four different layouts. Mausoleum No. 3, which was single-chamber, square in plan with a narrow protruding portal, had the simplest form. This construction has a wide range of analogies both in the Golden Horde and in Central Asia. The rest of the mausoleums belong to the group of multi-chamber buildings. Mausoleum No. 2 consisted of two rooms, it was transverse-axial and also had a portal. In the Golden Horde, buildings of this type are not known, but in Central Asia they are quite common. Mausoleums No. 4 and 5 are elongated along the longitudinal axis and consist of a rectangular lobby and a square in the plan of the sepulcher. This type of layout originated in the Golden Horde. According to the plan, mausoleum No. 1 was the most interesting and complex. It consisted of four rooms and had a T-shaped layout. The construction had a protruding portal and an underground crypt, where burials were made. This building is identical in plan to the mausoleum of Najm al-Din Kubra in Konye-Urgench. The composition and shape of the rooms in these mausoleums make it possible to suppose that they were used not only as memorial buildings, but could serve as a khanqah.