Completed by the year 905, the Samanid mausoleum, as its name suggests, was built under the Samanid dynasty. Its construction was initiated by the Emir Ismail Samani – the founder of the dynasty – at the beginning of the 10th century, for his father Ahmad ibn Assad. The mausoleum is the oldest muslim monument in all of Central Asia and probably the most solid one. Built in terracotta bricks, the appearance changes according to the light. It has walls almost 2m thick which have allowed it to survive for 11 centuries without restoration. The Samanid mausoleum is a roofed construction which is prohibited by the Islamic religion: it is the first and the last mausoleum of this type in the history of Islam. The mausoleum is not only the tomb of the Emir Ismail Samani, but the house to the remains of his father Ahmed and his grandson Nasr, as well as other members of the Samanid dynasty.
