Shrine complex of Jamal al-Din, Anau, Turkmenistan
The Shrine complex of Jamal al-Din at Anau, Turkmenistan, was built between CE 1447-1457, during the reign of Abul-Kasim Babur. The complex had two minarets and two domes. Above the entrance, there was intricate mosaic work depicting two large yellow dragons against a blue background. In 1948 the area was struck by a massive earthquake, the shrine was reduced to rubble. Some of the mosaic have been recovered, like the dragons over the entrance portal, and are now housed at the Fine Arts Museum of Ashgabat, some 12 km from the shrine.
Image of the shrine ca. CE 1925, from the Ernst Cohn-Wiener Collection.
Kufic elements on the entrance portal
لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله
la ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah
علي
Ali
(quadruple)
الله احد
Allah ahad
الله
Allah
محمد
Muhammad
References
ArchNet - Ernst Cohn-Wiener Collection
ArchNet - Shrine complex of Jamal al-Din, Anau, Turkmenistan