The cluster of three tomb towers
known as Üç Kümbetler (“Three Tombs”) is located just south of the city
center of modern Erzurum. In the medieval period, the tombs would have lay
outside the city walls not far from Tabriz Kapısı (Tabriz Gate). The largest
tomb, locally referred to as the Tomb of Emir Saltuk, is tentatively dated to
the late twelfth century/sixth century AH. Based on stylistic comparisons,
scholars date the other two tombs that are unmarked and unnamed to the
fourteenth century/eighth century AH.
All three tomb towers are based
on the same type of plan: a cylindrical or polygonal shaft with a conical roofs.
The Tomb of Emir Saltuk is distinguished by its octagonal plan with sides
rising to a short gable under its roof, which is squatter than the others. The
other two tombs have cylindrical bodies decorated with a series of blind arches
and conical roofs.
Sources:
Government of Turkey. “Üç Kümbetler - Erzurum.”
http://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/erzurum/gezilecekyer/uc-kumbetler.
Accessed September 26, 2017.
Sinclair, T. A. Eastern Turkey: An Architectural and Archaeological Survey. 4 vols: 2: 212-213. London: The Pindar Press, 1989.
