Momine Khatun Mausoleum

The Momine Khatun Mausoleum was built in the historic centre of the city of Nakhchivan by the famous architect Ajami Naxcivani. Shamsaddin Eldaniz, the founder of the Azerbaijani Atabaylar state, commissioned the construction of a mausoleum over the grave of his wife, Momine Khatun, who died in 1175. However, the building was not completed until 1186 by Mahammad Jahan Pahlavan, the son of Shamsaddin Eldaniz. Of the original complex, which included a mosque and minarets, only the mausoleum itself remains today.

In 2002, with funding from the World Bank, detailed surveys, research and restoration work were carried out on the monument. The Austrian architect Manfred Wehdorn had the structure surveyed and determined that it currently deviates from the vertical by 27 cm, corresponding to a 1.5 per cent inclination.

Stefan Linsinger, an Austrian surveying engineer, surveyed the monument again on our behalf in 2024 using modern 3D laser technology and drone flights. A deviation from the vertical of 58 cm, corresponding to a 2.3 per cent inclination, has now been recorded.

In order to understand and analyse the monument’s increasing tilt, geotechnical and geophysical analyses of the ground beneath the mausoleum were carried out. As a further measure, a permanent monitoring system based on a digital hose level with an integrated inclinometer was installed.

The mausoleum, which is over 25 metres high and shaped like a decagon, is decorated on all sides with skilfully crafted geometric ornamentation made from strips of brick, ceramics and plaster stucco. The conservation of this oriental work of art required an in-depth investigation of the building’s structure and the damage it had sustained. Once a suitable conservation plan had been finalised, work was able to commence in August 2026.