Asia

[Visited: February 2022]

Finding a car in Nakhchivan turns out to be harder than I thought, but once I am behind the wheel, the going turns out to be incredibly easy. Instead of chartering taxis and negotiating every time with people whose language I don't speak, I will be free to go whenever I want and stay however long I like. Driving in Nakhchivan turns out to be straightforward, especially once you are out of the capital which has some one-way streets. I drive the main road towards the northwest. There is hardly any traffic, and the only reason for me to stop is when a large herd of sheep is pushed across the road by a shepherd. This is driving without any navigational aids: just follow the road until you see the turn-off for your destination. And I can see it coming from a distance, with barren mountains in the background.
When I take the turn right at Qarabaghlar, the two minarets I am looking for tower over the low rise buildings of the town as I approach it. But when I am about to arrive, I see that the building is hidden behind a high wall, so I turn around. When I see an old woman approach, I get out and try to ask her, but she smiles an embarrassed smile. An old man walks up, and when I point at the building I see rising above the wall, and pronounce the name, he opens his mouth, shows a row of golden teeth blinking in the sun, and points to the passenger seat of my car. Before I know it, he is guiding me with his hands, and takes me directly to the parking lot on the west of the Garabaghlar mausoleum complex. I feel awkward leaving him here, but after he approves of the right hand that I place on my heart, he walks off, towards the cemetery in the west. For the umpteenth time, I wished I could communicate and know what this man is thinking and doing.
It is soon clear that I have arrived at the perfect time of the day. The late afternoon winter sun is casting a warm light on the Garabaghlar mausoleum complex. There is no one around, and the doors are closed. Two slender minarets rise above the rectangular building. I walk around it, and find a cylindrical tower behind it, with semicircular facets. The wall has Islamic quotes in Kufic writing, and has white calligraphy on a dark blue base near the top, that has turquoise tiles. This is a remarkable building, and it has been here since the 14th century. The door of this tower is also closed - alas. I will not be able to see what the inside looks like. Or will I? I see smoke coming out of the mausoleum building, and after waiting for a while in the sun, someone comes out through the door. I make a gesture, but the man does not open the door for me, and walks away. I will have to settle for the exterior view. I walk around these medieval buildings once more, see it from all possible angles, and walk away, to the cemetery where the old man disappeared in. When I come back, the light is even warmer than before, and I wait until it slowly fades away - just like it has done thousands and thousands of times before. When the building has turned into a silhouet, it is time to leave for the drive back to Nakchivan; and I take an interior road to the main road.

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Garabaghlar Mausoleum (Azerbaijan)

Garabaghlar Mausoleum > Azerbaijan > Asia

[Visited: February 2022]

Around the World in 80 Clicks