Üç Kümbetler
Erzurum, Türkiye

The cluster of three tomb towers known as Üç Kümbetler (“Three Tombs”) is located just south of the city center of modern Erzurum. In the medieval period, the tombs would have lay outside the city walls not far from Tabriz Kapısı (Tabriz Gate). The largest tomb, locally referred to as the Tomb of Emir Saltuk, is tentatively dated to the late twelfth century/sixth century AH. Based on stylistic comparisons, scholars date the other two tombs that are unmarked and unnamed to the fourteenth century/eighth century AH.

All three tomb towers are based on the same type of plan: a cylindrical or polygonal shaft with a conical roofs. The Tomb of Emir Saltuk is distinguished by its octagonal plan with sides rising to a short gable under its roof, which is squatter than the others. The other two tombs have cylindrical bodies decorated with a series of blind arches and conical roofs.

Sources:

Government of Turkey. “Üç Kümbetler - Erzurum.” http://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/erzurum/gezilecekyer/uc-kumbetlerAccessed September 26, 2017. 

Sinclair, T. A. Eastern Turkey: An Architectural and Archaeological Survey. 4 vols: 2: 212-213. London: The Pindar Press, 1989.
Location
South of Çifte Minaret Madrasa and the city walls near the Tabriz Gate, Erzurum, Türkiye
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Site Contains
Associated Collections
Events
12th-14th c./6th-8th c. AH
Style Periods
Variant Names
Three Tombs
Translated
Three Mausolea
Variant
Building Usages
funerary