Trips on cultural heritage of Lebap Region.

"Be life to you though in three hundred years it is given -
But all the same she is doomed,
Be you the Caliph or the market beggar,
Eventually - all one price"

Omar Khayyam.

Tours on the great architectural monuments of Turkmenistan.

Dargan-ata mausoleum, by tradition square in the plan, is built from the burned brick on clay solution. As M. E. Masson believes, the subdome room of the mausoleum originally had the sizes of 9 x 9 meters. The ancient carved door of a mazar kept an inscription with the indication of date - 773 years, hidzhra (1371 - 1372).
From the South and the East fortress has rectangular outlines and is led round by a wide ditch. The total area of the ancient settlement reached 8 hectares. Along external walls there were more than 20 rectangular and round towers.
In the X century was considered as the second the ambassador Gurgandzha as the city of Khorezm. In the XIth century Dargan is mentioned as intermediate point on a caravan track from Amul to Gurgandzh. By this time there ascend also fortifications.
In the 60th of the XIVth century when Dargan entered possession of a dynasty of Sufi, in its territory Dargan-ata mausoleum - the only escaped building on the ancient settlement was built. This name of a monument is later, connected with national tradition.
In the mausoleum the Arab inscription in which a certain military leader Mizrab Padit is called remained. However, the modern local tradition connects the mausoleum with a name of Abu Muslim (apprx. 727 - 755) - Arab religious and the politician who died in Merv.
The mausoleum represents the two-chamber building from a burned brick with developed peshtaky, without any traces of a decor, sustained in traditions of Khorezm architectural school. Dargan-ata mausoleum is on the medieval ancient settlement Dargan-ata, approximately in 3 km to the south of the modern settlement of Birata (Lebap Region) with the two-part planning characteristic of fortification of Khorezm, the most southern city of this historic area.
Northern and western walls of the ancient settlement leave to Amu Darya.

Authority:
On materials of information department of the State committee of Turkmenistan on tourism and sport. "Religious and spiritual monuments to Central Asia". Author M. Hashimov. Saga publishing house, 2001.