Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum

an architectural monument in the city of Merv, Turkmen SSR. An outstanding example of 12th-century Middle Asian architecture, the Sultan Sanjar mausoleum was built by the architect Muhammad ibn Azyz al-Sherasi. The majestic domed building consists of a lower cube-shaped structure topped by an arched gallery with brick ornamentation and fretwork along the ganch (plaster-like frieze). Eight windows that look onto the gallery illuminate a high (36 m) hall that is crowned by a dome with a double shell; the tiled outer dome has not survived.