“Karazhan” Mausoleum

Name: “Karazhan” Mausoleum

Type of monument: Town planning and architecture

Date of monument: Beginning of XX century

Location: Aktobe region, Aitekebi district, 3 km to the south from Tyshkanbai village

Description of monument: Right angled (8,2 x 10 meters) portal-domical mausoleum oriented with entrance to south-south-west. Angles of the structure walls were flanked with domical towers.  A portal with two archways represents right angled passage way-tambour stretched across the mausoleum. It was covered with 5 air domes based on axial arches and  creating the impression of parapet. Archway to the main room is installed in the eastern part of tambour, quadratic in plan of 6,10 x 6,20 meters. Covering is a radial  – wedge shaped dome based on the arch angle trumpet arches. The bricks were trimmed for making even surface of  skouphos. A cartwheel served as dome lock. A curtain – shymyldyk made of the red fabric were hang on in the upper part of the dome lower than the lock-wheel. Three raw grave-stones of sagan type were placed in the western part of the hall, under which the burial chambers were installed. Inner surfaces of hallway and main room as well as planes of grave-stones were  coated with  clay and sun-dried mortar and it was coated with lime-sand mortar. Mausoleum walls are laid out from the mudbrick and rested on clay stylobate. Two horizontal ledgements (cornice) are distinguished in the upper part. The preserved height is 6,60 meters.

Historical note: Mausoleum was erected by Zhyga, a public master in 1910 over the grave of rich Karazhan.