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GAZARGAH
LOCATION: Herat
DESCRIPTION: A complex of buildings
built and repaired from the Timurid period onwards. Among
its features are 1) The Timurid shrine of Khwaja Abdulla Ansari
(Sufi poet b. 1006 A.D.) decorated with tilework. Work began
on this building in 1425. The courtyard has hundreds of headstones
dating from many periods and a room in the north wall contains
a superb black marble sarcophagus called the Haft Qalam (Seven
Pens) dating from the reign of Sultan Husain Baiqara (1468-1506).
2) South of the entrance a pavilion built during the prime
ministership of Mir Ali Sher Nawai (1472-1501) called the
Khana Zarnegar (Pavillion Adorned with Gold) has an interior
decorated with gold paintings on a lapis lazuli blue background
and is still well preserved. 3) A 17th century duodecagonal
building in the NW area of the site called the Namakhdan (Saltcellar)
has arched balconies and overlooks a Timurid garden.
CONDITION: Well maintained
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GAZARGAH
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