Burj-i Lajim

This tomb tower has a cylindrical chamber crowned by a double dome; the outer dome has not survived. It is highly probable that this dome was conical, like in most tomb towers of the region and of the same period. The entrance to the burial chamber faces east.The decorative features of the exterior are concentrated below the dome at the entrance. Immediately below the dome is a row of shallow arched niches. Separated from it with a narrow band of geometric patterns are two inscriptive bands. The upper one is written in Pahlavi (language spoken by the Sasanids) and the lower is in Arabic, written in the Kufic style. The content of the Pahlavi inscription, which is largely damaged, has not yet been deciphered, whereas the Arabic inscription contains the name of the person buried in the chamber: Abu'l Favaris Shahriyar bin Abbas bin Shahriyar. It is made of brick on a stucco background.The entryway is crowned by a pointed arch and set inside a shallow niche with a second pointed arch. Its tympanum is adorned with a brick honeycomb pattern. The tower has a simple cylindrical interior lit only by the entrance.The exterior is currently under restoration.Sources:Pope, Arthur Upham, ed., Phyllis Ackerman, assist. ed. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. Vol. 3, Architecture, Its Ornament, City Plans, Gardens, 3rd ed. Tehran: Soroush Press, 1977. Uqabi, Muhammad Mahdi, ed. Dayirat al-ma arif-i binaha-yi tarikhi-i Iran dar dawrah-i Islami, 392-393. Tehran: Awzah i-i Hunari-i Sazmani-i Tablighat-i Islami, 1997.