Home UpBukhara: Ismael Samani Mausoleum

The previous folder mentioned that the brickwork of the Kalon Minaret was reminiscent of the Samani Mausoleum. It's time to see why.

Ahmad ben Asad ben Saman, the founder of what became a dynasty, ruled an emirate in the name of the Abbasids in Baghdad. Nasr Samani, his son, broke free of the Abbasids and claimed independence. Under his son Ismael the city prospered: Firdausi, for example, lived here, and as the author of the Shahnamah became the founder of New Persian literature. The emirate's wealth, let it be remembered, rested chiefly on supplying Baghdad with slaves.

The Samani family converted to Islam in the ninth century, and this tomb is among the oldest dynastic tombs in the Muslim world. When built, it was outside the city and on the grounds of a Samani estate. The family's power soon came to an end with the arrival of the Turks in 1005, and the tomb would have vanished long ago, except that it was literally buried, either deliberately or inadvertently. The Russian archaeologist Shishkin was lucky enough to find it and excavate it in 1934.

Notice the modest dome, a feature that would be hugely amplified in coming centuries. Notice, too, the lack of glazed-tile ornament. Everything depends on the elaborate handling of brick.

Decorative columns of basket-weave brick.

The four doors—a hint at Persian influence—are also framed and trimmed in brick.

The texture of the building varies with the angle of the sun.

The complex brickwork continues inside, where the dome rests on a circle of squinches.