All the same, I should like to have seen the ruins of Termez Byron’s plan was to cross the Oxus river. The river, known by the Latin name Oxus, is also called the Amu Darya and is one of the major rivers of Central Asia. Byron has thus far traveled around Afghanistan and Iran, keeping…
The dream of the Rowze-i Sharif
[it] owes its existence to a dream On the 27th of May 1934 Byron visits and describes the Mausoleum of Hazrat Ali (most commonly called Rowze-i Sharif) in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, and two smaller mausoleums next to it. THE LEGEND The passage Byron dedicates to the Mausoleum opens with a historical account of how it was…
A brief visit to the Masjid-i Mawlana of Tayabad
which had a beautiful stucco inscription backed by turquoise glaze In the entry dated 12th May 1934, Byron records that the previous day, thus on the 11th of May 1934, he visited the Mawlana at Taybad. His visit seems quite brief: he was in a hurry since a storm was coming that could stop him…
The Square Kufic of the Pir-i Bakran Shrine
After years running this blog, I realized I have not devoted even one single article to a Square Kufic inscription. Which sounds weird, considering the name of this blog. In any case, the time has come. A reader, JJ (I don’t know the full name, thus, let’s call him/her JJ), sent me a couple of…
Byron’s disappointment and a teachable moment: the Turbat-i Sheikh Ahmad Jami Shrine
The shrine there was disappointing The 8th of May 1934 was quite a disappointing day for Robert Byron. That day, on his way to Kariz, due to the heavy rain, Byron decided to skip his visit to Sang Bast and its monuments and go directly to the Turbat-i Sheikh Ahmad Jami Shrine. Unfortunately, Byron was disappointed by this…
Arslan Jadhib Mausoleum and Minaret
a rainy sky made us push on On the 8th of May 1934, on his way to Kariz, wanted to stop at Sang Bast, to visit a monument there: a mausoleum and its minaret. From his travelogue, we know that he did not manage: “We meant to stop at Sengbest to examine an eleventh-century mausoleum…
The Mil-i Sharq Radkan
It was worth the effort On the 6th of May 1934, Robert Byron is once again in Mashhad. This time, during his stay in the city, he also takes the chance to visit the surrounding area. He pays a visit to the tomb tower that is situated nearby the city of Radkan, which is about…
The Gunbad-i Qabus: the superlative beauty of a tomb tower
the Gumbad-i-Kabus ranks with the great buildings of the world Finally! On the 24th of April 1934, Robert Byron finally visits the Gunbad-i Qabus, in Gurgan. Why do I say finally? Right before having the chance to visit the tomb tower of Gurgan, on the 23rd of April 1934, Byron explains that “[i]t was Diez’s…
The Friday Mosque of Qazvin: getting to know a mosque that Byron ‘discovered’
I believe I am the first person to have noticed the Seljuk stucco in the sanctuary Robert Byron stops in Qazvin on the 14th of April 1934. There, he visits the Friday Mosque of the town, recording his visit as follows: “Almost all visitors to Persia travel either by Resht or by Hamadan, and all…
Mullah Hassan-i Kashan Shrine and square Kufic
is remarkable for a domed stalactite ceiling It is the 12th April 1934 and Byron’s just paid a visit to the tomb tower of Chelabi Oghlu. After that, he reports his visit to the Shrine of Mullah Hassan-i Kashan. What Byron writes about it is only that the most interesting feature of this monument is the…
The simple tomb-tower of Chelebi Oghlu
an octagonal tomb-tower of the thirteenth century When Robert Byron is back to Sultaniyya, on the 12th April 1934, he does not only remember the first time he saw the Tomb of Uljaytu (that does not disappoint him, not even now that has visited many monuments), but visits other monuments, one of which is the…
Traces of an early inscription in the Friday Mosque of Ardistan
where stucco is used in a new way Byron is heading back to Isfahan on the 31st of March 1934. On his way back, he stops and pays a visit to two Friday mosques: the Friday mosque of Na’in and the Friday Mosque of Ardistan. In the short paragraph he writes on the Friday…
