Mazlum Khan Sulu
Blue-tiled inside.
Erik Albers — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Erik Albers — CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://damda.uz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://damda.uz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alpasli — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MarjonaKhidirova — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kuwanishbek — CC0 · Stephanieadams99 — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of the largest and oldest cemeteries in Central Asia, spread over hills near the town of Khodjeyli across some 200 hectares, with graves from antiquity to the late Middle Ages. On a neighbouring hill stand the ruins of the Gyaur Kala fortress, where the site's story begins in the 4th century BC. Its finest monument is the 14th-century mausoleum of Mazlum Khan Sulu, a portal-and-dome building partly sunk below ground, its interior lined in blue tiles with muqarnas in the corners. Folk tales say it holds a princess and a craftsman who loved her but were never allowed to marry. There is also the mausoleum of Shamun Nabi, a long building with seven domes over a cenotaph more than 25 m long, which legend says grows every year. From the hilltops, mud domes and graves stretch to the horizon. The cemetery is still in use, so keep quiet and dress modestly. It lies on the Khodjeyli road and pairs with the Savitsky Museum in half a day.
Blue-tiled inside.
Of Shamun Nabi.
To the horizon.
Near Khodjeyli, about 20 km west of Nukus
The 14th-century Mazlum Khan Sulu mausoleum, lined in blue tiles and muqarnas, and the seven-domed tomb of Shamun Nabi.