The Karakhan Mausoleum (11^th-12^th century), also known as ‘Aulie-ata’ (‘sacred father’), is situated in the central part of Taraz (on the intersection of Tole bi and Baizak batyr Street), and was part of the religious memorial complex which took shape on the territory of the medieval rabad. It is thought to have been built on the grave of one of the representatives of the Karakhanid dynasty – Shakh Mahmud Karakhan. Unfortunately, the names of the mausoleum’s builders have been lost over the centuries. Indeed, the mausoleum itself as it originally appeared was not saved. The modern mausoleum was built by the efforts of local residents in 1906, on the same site of the previous mausoleum, though without any of its decoration. We can only judge what the original mausoleum may have looked like, and its architectural value, by a photograph taken in 1902. The photograph shows that the mausoleum was square in form and that its main facade was decorated with brick patterns. Excavations carried out in 1961 revealed that up to thirty varieties of terracotta decoration were used in the mausoleum’s workmanship. The arch above the entrance was wedge-shaped, lined with bricks and supported on columns.

Nowadays, on visiting the Karakhan Mausoleum, we are faced with a domed construction with a large entrance, a central hall where the gravestone is located and three small corner rooms. The mausoleum’s walls are made from bricks from the Tsarist period; only the dome and arched niches inside the mausoleum are made from brick-tiles from the 11^th century building. The inscription in Arabic ligature above the entrance recites the first line of the Koran: ‘There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his Prophet...’ The most recent renovations were carried out in 2002 by the state organisation ‘Kazrestoration’, in time for the 2000-year anniversary of the ancient city of Taraz.