Shaikh Sayid Alauddin (Alia ad-Din/Allauddin) (d. 1302) was a Naqshbandi sufi saint who lived in the thirteenth century in the region around Bukhara. He is burried in the city of Khiva in the old city of Itchan Kala. His mausoleum is the oldest surviving building of the city.
Aalauddin Mausoleum
The mausoleum of Shaikh Sayid Alauddin in the center of Ichan kala is the oldest surviving building in the city. This is a two-chamber tomb with an asymmetrical composition: a praying mosque (ziaratkhana) attached to a square mausoleum (gurkhana) from the western side. A simple wood fence, which is adjacent to the wall, separates the ziaratkhana from the gurkhana. The praying mosque is almost twice the size of the tomb. The two chambers are covered with cupolas: an octagonal form on the gurkhana and rounded form on the ziaratkhona.
A splendid tomb of prismatic form, 2x1.2 m. in size, 1.25 m. high, stands out in the modestly decorated interior of the gurkhana. The tomb lies on a stepped low podium. Its facing is a classical specimen of the Khorezm artistic school of the nineteenth century. The edges of the majolica tomb are divided into right-angled panels; the borders are covered with small plant patterns, white against the dark-blue background. The stylized stalks, leaves and flowers are painted freely. There are Arabic inscriptions and the date of Shaikh Alauddin’s death on the wooden slab is 702 Hijri (1302AD) According to the writing on the frieze, the mausoleum was built by Amir-i-Kulal (Amir Kulal’s great grandfather).
The majolica tomb of this mausoleum is a genuine masterpiece of decorative art. It can be compared with the tomb of Kucam Abbas in Samarkand and Kubra in Kunyu-Urgench, which are close in the time of their construction. Undoubtedly, the monument was created in the Golden Horde period the architectural and decorative art.
In 1825 the building was thoroughly rebuilt and the blue, green, and turquoise majolica tile that decorates the cenotaph is an addition from that time.
