Lajim Tower
{{short description|Mausoleum and tower monument in Lajim, Mazandaran, Iran}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Lajim Tower
| native_name = {{lang|fa|برج لاجیم}}
| native_name_lang = fa
| image = Lajim Tower 4905.jpg
| image_upright = 1.4
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| caption = Lajim Tower, in 2020
| religious_affiliation = Islam
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| organisational_status = Mausoleum and monument
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| functional_status = Active
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| location = Lajim, Savadkuh County, Mazandaran province
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| country = Iran
| map_type = Iran
| map_size = 250
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| map_relief = 1
| map_caption = Location of the monument in Iran
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| coordinates = {{coord|36.255667|53.105833|region:IR-30_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=it|format=dms}}
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| architecture_type = Islamic architecture
| architecture_style = {{ubl|Bavandid|Ziyarid}}
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| year_completed = {{AH|413|link=on}}
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| dome_quantity = One {{small|(double)}}
| dome_height_outer = {{cvt|14|m|ft}}
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| dome_dia_outer = {{cvt|9|m|ft}}
| dome_dia_inner = {{cvt|5.47|m}}
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| inscriptions = {{nowrap|Two {{small|(in Pahlavi and Kufic)}}}}
| materials = Bricks; plaster
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| module = {{Infobox historic site
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| image_size = 250px
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| designation1 = INHL
| designation1_offname = Lajim Tower
| designation1_type = Built
| designation1_date = 24 January 1935
| designation1_number = 185
| designation1_free1name = Conservation organization
| designation1_free1value = Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran
}}
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The Lajim Tower ({{langx|fa|برج لاجیم|Borj-e Lajim}}), also known as Tomb Tower of Lajim,{{efn|Other names include the Burj-e Lajim, the Burj-i Lajim, the Imamzadeh Abdollah, the Imamzadeh Abdullah, and the Imamzada Abdallah.}} is a {{convert|14|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} cylindrical tower used as a mausoleum, that is located in the village of Lajim near Savadkuh, in the province of Mazandaran, Iran.{{Cite web |author=Rasaneh, Sirang |title=Lajim Tower 2023, Savad Kooh, Mazandaran |url=https://itto.org/iran/attraction/lajim-tower/ |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=Iran Tourism & Touring Organization }} The tower was completed in {{AH|413|link=on}}, during the Bavand dynasty that ruled over the region at the time.{{Cite web |date=3 July 2006 |script-title=fa: برجهاي رسکت و لاجيم؛ آرامگاههايي كه توجه حكمرانهاي شمال ايران را به خط نشان ميدهند |url=https://www.isna.ir/news/8504-05378/%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AC-%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%8A-%D8%B1%D8%B3%DA%A9%D8%AA-%D9%88-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%A2%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%8A-%D9%83%D9%87-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%87-%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85-%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%8A-%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86 |access-date=20 September 2023 |script-website=fa:ایسنا |lang=fa}}
The mausoleum was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 24 January 1935 and is administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.
Architecture
The tower has a cylindrical burial chamber crowned by a double dome, though the outer dome has not survived. It is likely the outer dome was originally conical in shape, typical for tomb towers in the region from the same period.{{Cite web |title=Burj-i Lajim |url=https://www.archnet.org/sites/3864 |date=n.d. |access-date=20 September 2023 |website=ArchNet }} The interior of the building, from the base to the conical dome, is perfectly round. The entrance to the burial chamber is on the eastern side.
The structure is {{convert|14|m}} high, with an outer diameter of {{convert|9|m}}. From the base to the conical dome, the diameter of the tower is {{convert|5.47|m}}.{{efn|Although one other source has widely different measurements.}}
Decorative features are concentrated below the dome surrounding the entrance. Directly below the dome is a row of shallow arched niches. Below this is a narrow band of geometric patterns, separating it from two inscriptive bands. The upper band is written in Pahlavi, the language of the pre-Islamic Sasanian Empire, and the lower band is in the Kufic calligraphic style. The Pahlavi inscription is largely damaged and has not yet been deciphered. The Kufic inscription contains the name of the person buried in the tomb – Abu'l Favaris Shahriyar bin Abbas bin Shahriyar, and bears the date {{AH|413}}.
It has been claimed that the Kufic inscription reads, in Persian:{{cite web |author=Cereti, Carlo G. |url=https://sites.uci.edu/sasanika/towers-of-lajim-inscription/ |title=Towers of Lajim Inscription |work=UC Irvine |date=2025 |access-date=13 June 2025 }}
{{blockquote|{{langx|fa|ēn ān ī gumbad <ī> Abulwari(s) Šahryār bin Abbas bin Šahryār. Cihrzād mād ī ōy. ādarōg Cihr[zā]d *duxt bin Silēxūr bin […]sy[…]t[…]s/š māh šahr[iwar] wad[ … ] marzēn ēn gōmbad <ī> šāh tuwānmand sāl 300 90 māh frawardīn bun frōd kard.||This is the dome of Abulfaris Šahryār son of Abbas son of Šahryār. Cihrzād is his mother. An Ādarōg Fire *Cihrzād daughter of *Silēxūr of [ … ] in the month of Šahriwar [ … ] laid down the foundations of the dome of the powerful king in the year 390, month of Frawardīn.}}|Translated from Middle Persian into English by Carlo G. Cereti.}}
The Lajim Tower inscriptions represent the first known use of the word "qubba" referring to the domed structure of the building, demonstrating the architectural influence of Islam in the region. The tower was an important monument that drew the attention of North Iranian rulers who valued pre-Islamic art and script.
The entranceway is crowned by a pointed arch and set inside a shallow niche with a second pointed arch. Its tympanum features a brick honeycomb pattern. The plain cylindrical interior chamber is lit solely by the entrance.
Use
For many years, it was believed that the tower contained the tomb of Imamzadeh Abdullah, a misconception subsequently corrected. The tower was originally a military structure, part of the Bavand rulers' fortifications. However, it later became the burial site for a prominent figure of the Bavand dynasty.{{cite web |author=Mahmoudian, Maryam |url=https://www.eavartravel.com/blog/2024/8/16/160958/lajim-tower/ |title=Lajim Tower in Mazandaran {{!}} Explore Iran’s Historic Landmark |work=Eavar Travel |date=16 August 2024 |access-date=14 June 2025 }}
In 1938, the tower was restored from materials sourced in Tehran in partnership with the Shirgah Traverse Manufacturing factory. Further restorations were completed in the 1990s to repair serious damage to the Kufic inscription, took.{{cite web |url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/513845/Lajim-Tower-a-brick-ode-amidst-the-symphony-of-the-forest-in |title=Lajim Tower, a brick ode amidst the symphony of the forest in Savadkuh |work=Tehran Times |date=2 June 2025 |access-date=14 June 2025 }}
Since these restorations, the tower has become an Islamic pilgrimage site for residents of the Lajim village and surrounding rural areas of Savadkuh. The ornately carved inscriptions under the dome make the brick structure an artistically significant example of ancient Iranian architecture and design.
See also
{{stack|{{portal|Islam|Iran}}}}
Notes
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References
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Further reading
- {{cite book |editor1-link=Arthur Upham Pope |editor1=Pope, Arthur Upham |editor2=Ackerman, Phyllis |chapter=A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present |volume=3 |title=Architecture, Its Ornament, City Plans, Gardens |edition=3rd |location=Tehran |publisher=Soroush Press |year=1977 |isbn= }}
- {{cite book |editor-link= |editor=Uqabi, Muhammad Mahdi |title=Dayirat al-ma arif-i binaha-yi tarikhi-i Iran dar dawrah-i Islami |pages=392-393 |location=Tehran |publisher=Awzah i-i Hunari-i Sazmani-i Tablighat-i Islami |year=1997 |isbn= |lang=fa |trans-title= }}
External links
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- {{cite AV media |author=Michailidis, Melanie |url=https://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/50053 |title=Tomb Tower of Lajim |work= |publisher=MIT |date=2003 |access-date=13 June 2025 |format=downloadable image of surrounding landscape}}
{{Mausoleums in Iran}}
{{Towers in Iran}}
Category:1020s establishments in Asia
Category:Bavandid architecture
Category:Buildings and structures in Mazandaran province
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1022
Category:Mausoleums, shrines and tombs on the Iran National Heritage List
Category:Religious buildings and structures with domes
Category:Tourist attractions in Mazandaran province