Wednesday, April 1, 2009One of the funny things about being a "tourist" in the Kurdistan region is the almost complete absence of maps or tourist information of any kind. When we were here 5 years ago, people told us that Saddam had forbidden maps of the Kurdish areas as a kind of security measure. This makes getting lost very easy--and finding ones way a challenge. One sees an interesting landmark and tries to find out more about it by asking friends. But no one seems to know anything about it...
Over the five years that we have been coming to Kurdistan, we have driven past a small round stone building which lies several miles to the north of Salahaddin. Finally, Frank did some trolling on the internet and decided that it must be a türbe. This from Wikipedia--"A typical türbe mausoleum is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the deceased. However some are more closely integrated into surrounding buildings. They are usually relatively small buildings, often hexagonal or octagonal in shape, containing a single chamber, which may well be decorated with coloured tiles. A dome normally surmounts the building. They are normally kept closed, but the inside can be sometimes be glimpsed through metal grilles over the windows or door. The exterior is typically masonry, perhaps with tiled decoration over the doorway, but the interior often contains large areas of painted tilework, which may be of the highest quality". Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbe
This one has a lovely tin "scuplture" on top with symbols of Islam on it--and a beautifully draped coffin inside.But, still, after much inquiry, we have no idea who is buried there or what the significance of this person is. Maybe on the next trip we'll find out...
