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Antiquities of Samarkand. Mausoleum of Khodzha Abdu-Derun. General View of the Gallery for Contemplation of the Saint's Tomb

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Antiquities of Samarkand. Mausoleum of Khodzha Abdu-Derun. General View of the Gallery for Contemplation of the Saint's Tomb
This photograph of the Khodzha Abdu-Derun mausoleum in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) is from the archeological part of Turkestan Album. The six-volume photographic survey was produced in 1871-72 under the patronage of General Konstantin P. von Kaufman, the first governor-general (1867-86) of Turkestan, as the Russian Empire’s Central Asian territories were called. The album devotes special attention to Samarkand’s Islamic architectural heritage. The Khodzha Abdu-Derun memorial complex was dedicated to a revered 9th-century Arab judge of the Abdi clan, with the word derun (inner) added to signify its location within Samarkand and to distinguish it from another complex commemorating the sage located just beyond the city. The original domed mausoleum, erected perhaps as early as the12th century, was expanded as a pilgrimage shrine in the 15th century. The complex included a courtyard pool, a mosque, and a separate entrance portal leading to the courtyard. This view at the back of the mausoleum shows a passageway that allows pilgrims to see and contemplate the tomb of the saint. Ancillary buildings and a damaged wall extend to the right. The passageway is guarded by a turbaned figure in a colorful silk robe. In the background an ornamental gate leads to a side courtyard.

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