Kharraqan: mausolea dated 1067 and 1093

The explanations distinguish finds, interpretations and open questions. Sources appear at the end of the page.

What the source says

The Met's timeline for Iran, 1000-1400 opens its section "ca. 1000-1100" by saying that funerary monuments are prominent among the architectural developments of the period. Of the surviving examples it singles out the Gunbad-i Qabus near Gurgan (1006-7) and the mausolea of Sangbast (1028), Damghan (1056), Khargird (1087) and Kharraqan (1067 and 1093). That is all the page says about Kharraqan: a name and two dates. Source 1.

A list by date

Arranged by the years it gives, the list spans most of the 11th century: 1006-7, 1028, 1056, 1067, 1087, 1093. Two of its dates belong to Kharraqan, and 1093 is the latest in the list. In the site's scheme the list is cut in two: Gonbad-e Qabus and Sangbast fall in Early Islamic Iran (to 1040), and Damghan, Khargird and Kharraqan in the Seljuq period, which begins ca. 1040. The Met itself lists them under one heading, without dividing them by dynasty. Source 1.

The development of the tomb tower?

UNESCO writes that the conical roofed form of Gonbad-e Qabus became a prototype for tomb towers and other commemorative towers in the region, and the Met lists Kharraqan after it in the same list. But none of the sources read describes the form of the buildings at Kharraqan, their material or who was buried in them, so whether they continue that prototype cannot be determined here. The words "tomb towers" themselves do not appear on the Met's page, which speaks of funerary monuments and mausolea. Sources 2, 1.

What can be said

The source allows one to say that Kharraqan has funerary monuments that the Met dates to 1067 and 1093 and counts among the noteworthy surviving examples of the 11th century. It does not say where Kharraqan lies, whether the two dates belong to two separate buildings, what each date rests on, or which ruler or patron is connected with them. Answers to those questions belong to surveys and publications of the buildings themselves. Source 1.

Scope of reading: the Met's timeline page for Iran, 1000-1400 CE and UNESCO's World Heritage page on Gonbad-e Qabus were read on 24 October 2026. No survey, publication or description of the buildings at Kharraqan was read; this page gives no description, location, measurements or inscriptions for them.