Gonbad-e Qabus (tower)
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Golestan Province, Iran / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gonbad-e Qabus or Gonbad-e Qabus Tower (Persian: برج گنبد قابوس) is a monument in Gonbad-e Qabus, Iran, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. It marks the grave of Ziyarid ruler Qabus (r. 978–1012), and was built during his lifetime in 1006/7.[1] It is a cylindrical tomb tower that reaches c. 61 metres (200 feet) and can be seen from some 30 kilometres (19 miles) away.[2][lower-alpha 1] The eponymous city is named after the monument.[1]
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Location | Gonbad-e Kavus, Gonbad-e Kavus County, Golestan Province, Iran |
Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) |
Reference | 1398 |
Inscription | 2012 (36th Session) |
Area | 1.4754 ha (3.646 acres) |
Buffer zone | 17.8551 ha (44.121 acres) |
Coordinates | 37°15′28.9″N 55°10′8.4″E |
Considered to be a masterpiece of Iranian architecture, according to Oleg Grabar, it achieves an "almost perfect balance between a purpose (princely glory beyond death), a form (cylindrical tower transformed into a star), and a single material (brick)".[4][5] The Gonbad-e Qabus tower is the best known tower tomb in northern Iran and was featured in many publications.[6]