Cylindrical tower
Dark red stone.
Wertuose — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Asmar Mammadova — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tərxan Paşazadə — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nuhun — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nuhun — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hassan.Baku — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sefer azeri — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tərxan Paşazadə — CC BY-SA 4.0
The tomb of Nizami Ganjavi, one of the great poets of the twelfth century, who was born and lived in Ganja and wrote in Persian the «Khamsa», or Five Treasures, including «Layla and Majnun» and «Khosrow and Shirin», classics of world literature. His grave has drawn visitors for centuries and was recorded as early as 1606, when Shah Abbas I camped near it and celebrated Novruz. The old tomb collapsed in the nineteenth century; a new mausoleum was built in its place in 1947 and rebuilt in its present form in 1991. The mausoleum is a tall cylindrical tower of dark red stone, its facade decorated with carvings and the poet's name, set in a large park with paths and trees. Bronze sculptures in the park show characters and scenes from his poems. Visiting is usually free, and it is a place of homage, so keep quiet and respectful. It lies on the edge of Ganja, so a taxi is easiest; the hour before sunset, when the square is lit, is loveliest.
Dark red stone.
In the park.
Layla and Majnun.
Just outside Ganja on the eastern road
A twelfth-century poet born in Ganja who wrote the «Khamsa» in Persian, including «Layla and Majnun», and is one of the great figures of literature in the Islamic world.