The Three Tombs (Üç Kümbetler)

The Three Tombs (Üç Kümbetler)

Located in central Erzurum, about 300 meters south of Çifte Minare Medrese, the Three Tombs (Üç Kümbetler) complex is still in use today, with only one of the three buildings identified as the tomb of Emir Saltuk. Once a cemetery, the area surrounding the mausolea has since been transformed into a park.

Although none of the three buildings are labeled, the architectural style and a record in a 1591 Ottoman cadastral survey attribute the Emir Saltuk Tomb to Izeddin Saltuk, who governed the Satukid principality from 1132 to 1168. The building is well preserved and dated to the twelfth century. In 1956, the roof was replaced. The Emir Saltuk Tomb is an octagonal structure decorated with alternating squares of light-colored and red stones. The decorations on all but four sides use darker colored blocks compared to the rest of the tomb's facades, while these four square decorations incorporate lighter stones instead.

The Three Tombs (Üç Kümbetler)

The two-story building is composed of an upper and lower level. The entrance to the upper floor is located on the northern wall, while the lower level can only be accessed from the inside. The entrance is adorned with an arch and a decorative tympanum featuring geometric designs. The lower level, believed to have functioned as a crypt, consists of a rectangular room measuring 5.4 meters by 4.26 meters. The room is topped with a stone arch and lacks any windows or additional openings apart from the entrance. Presently, there are no sarcophagi in this area.

The second tomb, named Anonymous I, is situated southeast of Emir Saltuk's mausoleum. The structure is dodecahedron in shape and rests on a high square foundation. It is surmounted by a truncated pyramid and is connected to the cylindrical drum below its conical roof. A band featuring guilloche ornamentation in red stone encircles the circumference of the drum just below the roof. The building comprises two floors, which were likely utilized as a prayer hall and crypt. However, as there are no inscriptions on the building, it is challenging to determine its precise age. Estimates for its construction range from the thirteenth century to the early fourteenth century, according to various scholars.

The third tomb is similar in structure to the earlier two, but it lacks the distinctive high foundation seen in the other examples.