The Mausoleum of Said Alauddin

Khiva, one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, the architecture of which fascinates the guests of the city. The historical part of Khiva – Shakhristan, a city located inside the city walls of Ichan Kala, has remained virtually untouched through the centuries. One of the most ancient buildings of Ichan Kala is the mausoleum of Said Alauddin.

The Sufi sheikh, theologian, follower of the Nakshbandi order, the righteous, Said Alauddin, according to various sources, was a relative of the Prophet Muhammad. Little is known about the life of a Sufi sheikh. Many researchers claim that his life was ended in 1303. The mausoleum over his burial was erected on the initiative of Said Mir Kulol, more than 50 years after the death of the Sufi sheikh, as a large number of pilgrims flocked to his grave. Said Mir Kulol himself was also a Sufi sheikh of the Nakshbandi Order. The mausoleum was built in a strict Sufi style, which adheres to asceticism and hermitry. Initially, it consisted of only one room, which is called the gurkhana (burial room), where the sagan (tombstone) towered.

In the XIV century, the Khan of Khiva, Sheikh Said Muhammadhan, was buried next to the grave of Said Alauddin.

Centuries later, in 1825, by order of the fifth ruler of Khiva from the Kungrat dynasty, Allakuli Khan, the mausoleum was restored.

To date, the mausoleum is a building made of clay bricks, which is roughly hewn and not decorated. This style is not typical for architectural monuments of medieval Central Asia, which were usually richly decorated with carvings and majolica. However, it is this style that characterizes the period of Mongol rule, when monuments of architecture were erected quite modest. The mausoleum consists of two rooms. The most ancient room, the burial room – gurkhana, which consists of two tombstones, sagans, which rise on a pedestal – dakhma. The tombstone, richly decorated with majolica in the style of Khorezm artists “Islimi”, strongly contrasts with the decoration of the gurkhana itself, where the walls have no decor. The second room, square in shape, in which pilgrims pray, is called the prayer room or ziaratkhana, which was attached to the gurkhana much later, in the XVII century.

The mausoleum of Said Alauddin borders the eastern wall of the Matniyaz Divanbegi Madrasah.

The mausoleum, like other historical architectural monuments of Khiva, is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.