Top 5 Ancient Ruins in Kunya-Urgench, Dasoguz Province

Reviewed By andrewmU2655XD

The II Arslan Mausoleum is the oldest standing building in the ancient city. It has been restored and is one of the highlights of the complex. It is located just north of the Dash Gala section. The mausoleum is dedicated to II Arslan and Fahreddin Razi. The shape and size of the building reminded us of the Samanid mausoleum in Bukhara. The main difference was the cone shaped roof with the use of a wavy design of small blue tiles. There was a brick constructed grave to the right of the building, and another larger grave hidden behind the building. We thought that the wooden doors seemed to be original, and there were beautiful carvings on them. The doors were slightly ajar, and worshipers had tied coloured ribbons on the lock. We peeked inside and saw another grave marker, which was white and similarly shaped to the grave outside. We were unsure which grave and monument was related to II Arslan and which to Razi. Arslan became the Shah of Gurganch in 1156 after the death of his father. This was at a time when the city paid tribute to both the Seljuk Dynasty (to the west) and Western Liao Dynasty, of which Gurganch was the westernmost city. The city stopped paying tribute to the Seljuks on the death of their leader, two years into his reign. Arslan then invaded Bukhara and Samarkand, which had also been ruled by the Western Liao. He stopped paying tribute to the Liao, which eventually resulted in a battle with them in 1172. The forces of Arslan were defeated, and he died shortly thereafter. His son, Ala ad-Din Tekish succeeded him and went on to significantly expand the Khwarezm Empire. We noted that the signboard had him as ruler until 1170, which contradicted the historical dates of the battle with the Liao. Fahreddin Razi was an important philosopher of the same era. The Mausoleum of Sultan Tekesh is a short walk north of this site, and the minaret is a short walk south inside the Dash Gala complex. Note that there is no public transport to the site, and tickets must be purchased at the ticket office in the car park to have access to all the buildings. It is a long hot walk through the site, so ensure that you have a bottle of water.