Tomb of Ahmed Sanjar was built in Merv

Merv

Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of...

 in 1157, following the death of Ahmed Sanjar

Ahmed Sanjar

Ahmad Sanjar Ahmad Sanjar Ahmad Sanjar (Mu'iz ud-Dīn Ahmad-e Sanjar; was the sultan of the Great Seljuq Empire from 1118 to 1153. He was initially the sultan of Khorasan until he gained the rest of the territory upon the death of Muhammad I....

, sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire. It is reported that his tomb was the site of pilgrimages.

Tomb

The mausoleum stood 27m high and was 17m by 17m wide. The walls were 14m high and had no major decorations. This was one of the grandest Seljuk tombs, with an ambitious gallery and a single dome of blue glazed bricks with the drum being buttressed at four points. Sanjar's mausoleum was part of a larger complex consisting of a mosque and palace, while the mausolem was centered in a vast courtyard.

Mongol Invasion

In 1221, Mongols, led by Tolui, attacked Merv

Merv

Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of...

 killing 700,000 people and burning the mausoleum.

Present day

A report made in 1879-81 describes the tomb being in the center of a chahar bagh

Persian Gardens

The tradition and style in the garden design of Persian gardens has influenced the design of gardens from Andalusia to India and beyond. The gardens of the Alhambra show the influence of Persian Garden philosophy and style in a Moorish Palace scale from the era of Al-Andalus in Spain...

, surrounded by small tombs and graves.