Kunya-Urgench - Turkemenistan

Kunya Urgench is a UNESCO site in north-western Turkmenistan, on the list since 2005. I got my 1st card from there back in 2009, when Claus sent it on behalf of Wendy, I postcrosser from Jamaica I used to talk with. It was a wonderful surprise, and now, all these years later, he sent 2 other cards that I had in ma favorites wall. 

On the 1st card we can see  the Mausoleum of Tyurabek Khanym and on the second the Mausoleum of  Sultan Tekesh. 

 

Urgench was the capital of the Khorezm region, part of the Achaemenid Empire. The old town contains a series of monuments mainly from the 11th to 16th centuries, including a mosque, the gates of a caravanserai, fortresses, mausoleums and a 60-m high minaret. The monuments testify to outstanding achievements in architecture and craftsmanship whose influence reached Iran and Afghanistan, and later the architecture of the Mogul Empire of 16th-century India. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

Tyurabek-khanym was a real historic figure, a Mongolian princess, the favorite daughter of the governor of Golden Horde - Uzbek-khan and the spouse of his deputy in Khoresm Kutlug Timur . Tyurabek - khanym was the patroness of women. Eventually she was canonized and declared a saint.
The Tyurabek Khanum Mausoleum is the largest and most impressive of the surviving monuments at Kunye Urgench. It is widely recognized as one of the earliest and finest monuments to make extensive use of mosaic faience, or multi-colored ceramic tiles, most notably in its inner dome which depicts an arrestingly detailed conception of the heavens. Though the site is traditionally believed to be the final resting place of Tyurabek Khanum, the wife of Qutlugh Timur—who ruled Khorezm between 1321 and 1336 on behalf of the Golden Horde—the monument may actually date to the reign of Timur (Tamerlane, r. 1370 to 1405), or even somewhat later. - in: https://www.orientalarchitecture.com

 

 The Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum stands as one of the few surviving monuments from pre-Mongol Urgench. Alongside the Il-Arslan Mausoleum, it forms part of a necropolis dedicated to one of the ruling Khwarezmian dynasties.

Constructed for the Khwarezmshah Tekesh, who passed away in 1200, this mausoleum epitomized the grandeur and detailed craftsmanship expected of royal tombs. The structure reaches a height of 30 meters, with its architectural significance highlighted by its roof, adorned with blue tiles inscribed with verses from the Quran, and its tower, which features 24 compartments.
During his reign, Tekesh not only preserved the boundaries of his state but also expanded them, uniting a vast expanse from the Aral Sea in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south, and from the Pamirs in the east to the Iranian Plateau in the west. He was known for constructing mosques and schools and for his patronage of scholars and poets. 

The Tekesh Mausoleum once dominated the skyline of Urgench, serving as a beacon in the desert. Exhausted travelers would catch sight of it from afar, signaling the nearing end of their arduous journey. - in: https://eurasia.travel