Pir-e Alamdar Tower

🕰️When was it built?

The tower is dated to 417 AH (1026–1027), in the Ziyarid period. It is the tomb of Mohammad ibn Ebrahim, father of Abu Harb Bakhtiyar, and is nationally listed under number 79. An iwan that once stood beside the dome no longer survives.

🏛️What was it built for?

Built as a tomb, the round tower encloses a small space beneath its dome. It is about 13 m high, with an internal diameter of about 4.5 m. The interior is plastered, with an inscription running around it.

👀What you will see

• The cylindrical brick body and dome define the building's exterior form.
• A band of interlaced Kufic lettering in dark blue on white is about 80 cm wide.
• Two openings above the inscription admit light into the interior.
• A round dark blue tile with geometric patterns sits at the centre of the inner dome.
• Mud-brick and fired-brick remains of earlier buildings have been found around the tower.

💡Something interesting

The tower has a double-shell dome, and sound reverberates inside. Together with the Kufic band around the wall, this acoustic effect makes the interior experience different from the simpler exterior.

🎒Good to know before you go

• Damghan Jameh Mosque is nearby. You can see both on one walk.