Mir Said Bahrom Mausoleum

History

The mausoleum stands in Karmana, on the lower Zarafshan and the ancient Samarkand–Bukhara road, over the grave of a certain Mir Said Bahrom about whom nothing is known. Hidden under later plaster and hemmed in by other buildings, it was only noticed in 1942 by the ethnographer A. K. Pisarchik, who published plans and photographs. In 1947 the architect V. S. Nilsen studied it in detail and proposed a reconstruction of its original form.

In the 18th century an ensemble of mosque, iwans, school and gatehouse grew up around it, but this was demolished in the 1970s. The mausoleum itself was repaired several times in the 1960s–70s and fully restored in 1976, which altered its original appearance in places.

Architecture

The building is almost square, 4.47 × 4.40 m inside, with walls of small 21 × 21 × 2.5 cm fired bricks set in gypsum mortar. It closely resembles the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara and the Arab-Ata Mausoleum in Samarkand Region. The south entrance facade is divided into three parts, with Qur'anic verses in Kufic script framing the arch, and on either side rise octagonal columns of chequerboard brickwork that play with light and shadow. Inside, the dome rests on an octagonal base.

The side and rear walls are plain. It is counted among the smallest monumental mausoleums in Uzbekistan.