Turkmenistan: Ashgabat – Seyit Jemaleddin Mosque

Seyit Jemaleddin Mosque, also known as the “House of Beauty” lies 12 km southeast of Ashgabat. Built between 1446-1457 during the Timurid period under the rule of Sultan Abu-l-Qasim Babur, the mosque is almost completely ruined but the remaining parts of blue mosaics hint at the old grandeur and show a striking resemblance to the grand monuments of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, clearing pointing to the Timurid period. The mosque complex included a central domed hall, two domed buildings, a mausoleum for Sheikh Jemaleddin, and two minarets. The entrance portal had a unique mosaic decoration, featuring two large dragons facing each other (same as in Samarkand). The mosque was heavily damaged in the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake.