User:Minnow Snow/sandbox2

Introduction
The Kharraqan towers (as known as Kharrakhan or Kharaghan towers)are a pair of mausolea at the Kharraqan region in northern Iran, near Qazvin. One of the twin towers was built in 1067, and the other one was subsequently constructed in 1093. They are notable for being an early example of geometric ornament and double domes and one of the earlier tomb towers that appeared in Seljuq Iran during the 11th century.

The brick structures stand 15 m tall and 4 m wide. The surface of both mausolea demonstrates extensive use of geometry. The interior walls of the older mausoleum are decorated with paintings of various subjects.

The eastern tower dates from 1067–68, and the western tower dates from 1093. It is believed that the occupant of the eastern tower was Abu Sa'id Bijar and the occupant of the western tower was Abu Mansur Iltayti according to Dr. Samuel Miklós Stern's transliteration of the inscriptions on the towers.

These towers are remnant examples of architecture from the Seljuk period of medieval Persia.

Physical characteristics
Both mausolea have double shells for the domes; the inner shells are intact, but the outer shells on both towers are lost. There is no direct access to light through the windows on the outer and inner shells of the dome. However, the opposite positions of the window on the two shells allow indirect light into the first tower through the side window on the inner shell.

Both octagonal towers have 8 rounded buttresses--one per corner. Stronach and Young speculate there were vertical ribs for the demolished outer shell of the dome; however, they conclude from the lack of same ribs in the inner side that the ridges, accompanying the ribs, were largely decorative.

On the exterior surface of the buildings is an intricate geometric patterning formed of carved bricks. The brick also features lengthy inscriptions, both historical and Quranic. The historical inscription on the Eastern tower includes not only the architect, but also another name, possibly the mausoleum's intended patron, which can only be partially read due to damage. Muhammad b. Makki al-Zanjani is inscribed on the Eastern tower; Abu'l-Ma-ali b. Makki al-Zanjani, on the later tower. These two names may refer to the same person--a local, unknown architect.

Kufic inscription of Quranic text on the exterior walls of both towers, identically distributed across sides and buttresses, features Sura 59, verses 21-23, recognizable despite damage on buttresses. Samuel Stern asserts that these Suras are an unusual choice for mausolea, but points to the preceding verses as being more fitting. Parts of the inscriptions above the Western tower's door can be recognized as Sura 23, Verse 115.

Interior
The Eastern tower's

Oleg Grabar provides a detailed description of the view over the entrance of the towers.

Interpretation
-...of exterior geometric decoration

Intricate geometric decoration covers the exterior surface of both towers.

-...of painting inside

According to Abbas Daneshvari, there are paintings of a lamp inside the tower from 1067. Daneshvari connects the light of the lamp with the light of the god, thus with paradise. Daneshvari's interpretation of the paintings inside the first tower is further associated with paradise with peacock's iconographic value as a bird of paradise in Islamic medieval culture.

-...of the funerary structure, accounting all symbolic visual aspects of the towers

21st century
Both towers were significantly damaged by the 2002 Bou'in-Zahra earthquake. They were in a good state of preservation before the event, suggesting it was one of the most powerful quakes in the region for approximately 900 years.

-There could be an update on what's been happening since the damage caused by the earthquake in 2002. Were the towers abandoned, or was there any attempt at reconstructing the towers? How much damage did the earthquake cause, precisely? If the towers were in a good state of preservation prior to the incident, does this suggest there was a conscious effort to preserve the architecture?

-An article from 2013 on the towers (from Iran Daily, found in Nexis Uni): simple mentioning of the towers -> probably not useful

Source for future use
Ettinghausen, Richard, Oleg Grabar, and Marilyn Jenkins-Madina. Medieval Islamic Art and Architecture 650-1250. New Haven, Yale University Press: 144-165. 2001.