Kyzyl Mazar Mausoleum

The monument

Kyzyl Mazar stands in the middle of a large cemetery in Bobur (formerly Taqachi) village, Bekobod District. Its original name is unknown; the present one, “red shrine”, comes from the reddish colour of its brick. The building is almost square, 13.1 × 11.3 m in plan and 10.5 m high including the dome. Architecturally it is a portal-and-dome mausoleum-khanaqah whose cross-shaped hall once opened to all four sides.

Its most unusual feature is a set of four spiral staircases built into the corners. The national register dates it to the 16th–18th centuries, while some researchers, judging by the brick sizes, place it in the 14th–16th.