Yusif ibn Kuseyir Mausoleum

Octagonal 12th-century tomb by master architect Ajami

Address Atabegs Architectural Complex, Nakhchivan

The Yusif ibn Kuseyir Mausoleum is one of the oldest surviving works of the great Nakhchivan architect Ajami. Built in 1161-1162, the octagonal brick tower predates his masterpiece, the Momine Khatum, by several decades. Each of its eight faces is covered in a different geometric pattern of laid brick, and the conical roof has largely survived.

The tomb commemorates Yusif ibn Kuseyir, an otherwise obscure local notable. Its architectural significance far outweighs the historical importance of its occupant: it is one of the foundational works of medieval Azerbaijani tomb architecture and a prototype for the brick mausoleums that spread through the wider region in the following centuries.

things to do sight
A story
Built in 1161-1162 by Ajami of Nakhchivan, the same architect who designed the more famous Momine Khatum Mausoleum, this octagonal brick tomb is the earlier of his two surviving works. The geometric brickwork patterns covering its faces influenced tomb architecture from Anatolia to Iran for centuries afterwards.

Other places in Things to Do