The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2022 - Issue 32

bitetravel Momine KhatunMausoleum, also known as Atabey's Cupola, is the most outstanding landmark in the city. It was constructed in honour of Atabey Shamsaddin Eldaniz;’s late wife, Momine, between 1186 and 1187 AD by Adjemi ibn Abubakr who also crafted the Yusuf ibn Kuseyir Mausoleum. The ten-sided monu- ment consists of an underground crypt and an over- ground tomb. It has eye-catching complex geometric patterns and ornaments with quotes from the Koran. The mausoleum consists of red bricks, tortoise tiles and geometric patterns similar to those found along the Silk Road in Central Asia. An inscription band in Kufic characters highlights the carved geometric motifs and runs below the mugamas cornice. The in- terior has four round medallions covered with dec- orative inscriptions and ornaments. Between 1999 and 2003, it went under restoration as part of the Azerbaijan Cultural Heritage Support Project of the World Bank. Xan Sarayi Museum or Palace of Nakhchivan Khans is a two-story monument with an exquisite Eastern architectural style that blends with the region’s or- ange-hued terrain. It was built in 1760 by Kalbali Khan Kangarli, Ehsan Khan’s father and used as the residence of the Nakhchivan Khans from the mid- 18th until the early 20th century. Its luxurious inte- rior consists of a large hall with a ceiling covered in exquisite ornaments. On the first floor, rooms were reserved for minis- ters and a courtroom. The entrance on the left and right of the second floor was the chambers of the Khan family. The infamous and enchantingly ex- quisite Mirror Hall was located to the right of the second entrance and intended for official receptions. The summer gazebos on the third floor in the living rooms were built parallel to the hall in the front and led by an internal staircase. In 1998, the building became the Carpet Museum, and in 2010, it was established as the State Histor- ical Architectural Museum Khan Palace. Today, it has nine exposition halls with around 2,000 exhib- its, of which 236 are exhibited at the museum. The collections include archival documents, photos and maps of the Nakhchivan khanate. The first floor houses workrooms, a farm and other auxiliary areas; the second floor has eight exhibitions, and the third floor has one and the exposition hall. Visit the Yezidabad Castle, near the city centre, an original fortress built solely of mud dating back to the 9th century and has since been rebuilt. It was named after Yazdgerd III, the last king of the Sas- sanid Empire. Another incredible structure is the 14th-century Qarabaglar mausoleum in the village of the same name in the Kangarli region. Its two slen- der minarets ascend above the rectangular building, and the cylindrical tower with semicircular facets is almost hidden behind it. The wall features Islamic quotes in Kufic writing and has white calligraphy on a dark blue base near the top with turquoise tiles. The underground burial place has a dodecagon-shaped stone platform and above- ground mausoleum bearing ornaments representing the highness and supremacy of the human soul. The dodecagon has four portals and three semi-cylinders between each arch. The portals are covered by ce- ramics designed with geometrical and oriental na- bati ornaments. Alinja Castle Momine Khatun Mausoleum Stone Memorials