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Central Asia's khans, emirs & conquerors rest in eye-catching mausoleums...Thread 
The Samanid mausoleum (10th c.) is a fine example of the Persian dynasty that dominated much of the region. It's said to host the remains of the great Ismail and other Samanid rulers
Bukhara
The Samanid mausoleum (10th c.) is a fine example of the Persian dynasty that dominated much of the region. It's said to host the remains of the great Ismail and other Samanid rulers
Bukhara
Mahmud of Ghazni (971-1030) established the first great Turkic empire beyond Transoxiana. A ruthless conqueror, he's known for his conquests in India, from which the gates of his mausoleum were said to have come from (not really). The British took them back in the 1842
Ghazni
Ghazni
Ahmad Sanjar (1085-1157) was the last great Seljuk sultan. During his rule, his capital of Merv became one of the most populous cities in the world. His mausoleum was part of a larger religious and palatial complex but none of the other buildings survive. (
1911/2009)
Merv
1911/2009)Merv
In the UNESCO site of Konye-Urgench lies the mausoleum of Ala ad-Din Tekish (?-1200), ruler of the Khwarezmian empire. While he was a great conqueror he was also a bit of a Game of Thrones character, fighting his brother for the throne and murdering his mother
Konye-Urgench
Konye-Urgench
The Ghorids were the last important dynasty in Central Asia of Persian heritage. Muhammad of Ghor (1149-1206) was one its greatest rulers and conquerors. He died in modern-day Pakistan, where a mausoleum was built for him in the 1990s
Sohawa
Sohawa
Not as known as Kublai Khan's China or the Golden Horde, the Chagatai Khanate also emerged from the Mongol empire, occupying most of Central Asia. Tughlugh Timur (1312-1363) reunited the khanate and converted to Islam. A nomad, he was buried in the town of Almaliq
Almaliq
Almaliq
No thread of this kind would be complete without Amir Timur (Tamerlane). He is buried in the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum together with some of his and grandsons, and his spiritual teacher. The actual crypts are in a chamber beneath the stones (note Timur's jade stone)
Samarkand
Samarkand
Timur's most illustrious descendant was probably Babur (1483-1530), the founder of the Moghul empire. He died in Agra but, as he wished, was reburied in Kabul, in the gardens that bear his name. His mausoleum was recently restored
Kabul
Kabul
Khans may no longer rule the region but modern authoritarian leaders do behave similarly. One of the most notorious was Turkmenistan's Saparmurat Niyazov (1940-2006). He was buried in the marbled Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque between his parents
Gypjak
Gypjak
Samarkand, known not only for the Gur-e-Amir but also for the outstanding Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, added in 2018 a new mausoleum to its portfolio with the grave of Uzbekistan's first president, Islam Karimov (1938-2016)
Samarkand
Samarkand
I hope you enjoyed the thread! As a bonus track I'll leave you with the grave of another Central Asian ruler, albeit not a very illustrious one, Alim Khan (1880-1944), last emir of Bukhara, who died in exile and whose mausoleum is in need of some restoration
Kabul
Kabul
