Çifte Kümbet
Ahlat, Türkiye

Çifte Kümbet refers to two nearly identical tombs in Ahlat. The tombs are located in the Iki Kubbe neighborhood, named after the tombs. Inscriptions name Hüseyin Timur and Esin Tekin Hatun (both d. 1279-1280/680 AH) as the dedicatees of the western tomb, and Bugatay Aga (d. 1281) and his wife Şirin Hatun as the dedicatees of the eastern tomb.

Both tombs sit on a base in the form of a cube whose corners have been cut off at an angle so that its top is octagonal. Atop this base sits the main shaft of the tomb tower, which is cylindrical in form. The surfaces of the cylindrical shafts of the tomb are divided into twelve rectangular panels. A geometric frieze (different on each tomb) surmounts these panels, followed by a cornice on the tomb of Bugatay Aga and two more registers of geometric ornament on the tomb of Hüseyin Timur. The roofs of the tombs are conical and feature niche motifs.

Sources

Sinclair, T. A. Eastern Turkey: An Architectural and Archaeological Survey, Vol. 1, p. 205. 4 vols. London: The Pindar Press, 1989.


Location

Ahlat, Türkiye

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Site Contains

Associated Collections

Events

ca. 1279-1281/ ca. 680 AH

Style Periods

Variant Names

Twin Tombs
Translated
İki Türbe
Alternate

Site Types

funerary