Sayid Alovuddin Mausoleum

History

Sayid Alovuddin was a Sufi sheikh revered in Khorezm who died in 1303. The domed tomb over his grave and its remarkable majolica cenotaph date from the first half of the 14th century, making this one of the few buildings in Itchan Kala to survive from the recovery after the Mongol invasion. A pilgrims’ hall was added in the 17th century, and Allakuli Khan had the monument thoroughly repaired in 1825.

The ground around it has risen over the centuries, so the mausoleum now sits below street level and you step down to enter — a telling sign of its age.

Why it matters

Its treasure is the cenotaph, clad in relief-moulded glazed tiles with floral and geometric designs in white, blue and turquoise. Fourteenth-century majolica is scarce in Khorezm, and this piece makes a fascinating comparison with the Khivan tilework of later centuries.

The tomb is tucked against the east wall of the Matniyoz Devonbegi Madrasa, and many visitors walking past Kalta Minor never notice it.