Akhangan Tower Mashhad
Akhangan Tower is one of the historical, visible and beautiful towers of the Timurid period located in Mashhad, which is 6 centuries old.
History:
Mil Akhangan or Akhangan is one of the historical towers of Khorasan Razavi.
This tower is located 22 kilometers north of the holy city of Mashhad, near the village of Akhangan.
There is no exact information about when this building was built.
André Godard assigned it to the Timurid period due to the use of patterned square tiles.
Lisa Golbeck and Donald Wilber have attributed it to the first half of the 9th century.
Helen Brand also considers it to belong to the Ilkhanid period, or the Timurid period, i.e. the 9th century.
According to the available evidence, some locals believe that in the 4th century AH, a bloody battle took place near this tower between the previous rulers of Khorasan and Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavi.
Akhangan Tower of Mashhad
Architecture:
This tower is like a tomb, with the architectural pattern of the Ilkhanid period visible in it.
This tower is located on a circular platform with 8 semi-sides and is 17 meters high.
There is an inscription under the roof, most of which and the worked tiles have been destroyed.
Its exterior is decorated with 8 half-columns.
The half-columns and walls are tiled, and its interior is devoid of any pattern.
Its porcelain and polygonal cap is in azure and turquoise colors.
The building is made entirely of brick.
To decorate this tower, tile pieces in the shapes of rectangles, stars, crosses, and polygons with various relief patterns in azure and turquoise colors have been used.
The Mil Akhangan building has three entrance doors.
Also, a tombstone measuring 110 cm long, 50 cm wide, and 40 cm high, written in Thuluth and Naskh script, is visible, but its identity is not known.
However, locals believe that it is the grave of an Indian girl, a devotee of Imam Reza (AS), who died on the way to visit the eighth Imam (AS) and was buried in her father’s land.
A cultural heritage guide board is also there.
This board is introduced as the grave of Gohar Taj Khatun, the unknown sister of Banu Goharshad.
According to the locals of the Mil Akhangan area, the tombstone inside this tower has been broken and the gold inside has been stolen.
Also, due to the theft of the beautiful tiles of this tower, its structure has taken on the shape of a honeycomb.
This building is very similar to the architectural style of the Jame Mosque and the building of Amir Chakhmaq in Yazd.
This building was registered as one of the national monuments of Iran on 10 Khordad 1321 with registration number 341.
Akhangan Tower Mashhad
Other information:
Address: Mashhad, on the side of Toos Road to Pazh Village and near Akhangan Village
Entrance fee: Free.
Visit hours: Free.
Akhangan Tower is one of the historical and interesting towers around Mashhad. You can also visit Akhangan Tower on the way to visit Ferdowsi’s Mausoleum and enjoy watching these beautiful and old buildings.
If you have already visited this place, please share your experience with other Asan Tour users.