Also known as the “green dome”, this brick square-shaped structure is a mausoleum from the 12th century, located in the Chahārbāgh Alaviān of Hamadan, west of Iran. A green colored dome once decorated the top of the building, as the poet Khaqani refers to it in his poems, but has been destroyed by the passing of time. A roof was built instead. Home for the tombs of two of the elders of the large Alavian family during the Seldjoukide period (1051-1220), this centuries-old structure is considered an outstanding example of Perso- Islamic architecture. It was built by the Alavian family as a mosque and then converted into a mausoleum with the creation of underground spaces. Decorated with whirling floral stucco added in the Ilkhanid Mongol era, it also has an epigraph with verses from the Qur’an. Reached by 7 steps, the entrance door is surmounted by a pointed arch and intricate stucco decorations bearing floral and geometric designs and Kufic inscriptions. In the center of the underground hall are two rectangular tombs covered with turquoise glazed bricks. The interior area is formed of six rooms with arches. Cube-shaved graves covered with turquoise bricks are in the center.
