The exterior of the Gök Medrese complex, the building most to the left is a "türbe", a grave monument. I think the proper phrase is cenotaph in the sense that with these selcuk constructions the actual grave is often a floor down from the more monumental area.

Many Seljuk (and later Seljuk-style) mausolea are a stone evocation of the pre-islamic funeral hills of the nomads of Central Asia. During their lives, prominent clan members had their funeral hill (‘kurgan’) prepared; when death came, a circular tent was erected on top of the kurgan, and the deceased’s body was laid out, in order to be greeted a last time by the clan members. After this greeting period, the body was placed in the burial chamber inside the kurgan.
A ‘tent-style’ Seljuk Türbe has two parts: a circular or polygonal room with a pyramidal or cone roof, where a cenotaph sarcophagus can be visited and honoured; this is the part referring to the funeral tent. Beneath this ornamented construction the real burial chamber (‘cenazelik’ or ‘mumyalık’) is to be found, where the deceased’s remains were buried; this is the part referring to the burial hill.

Although the Gök Medrese Türbesi is not entirely of the described type (its cenotaph room is square), its upper section has been given the form of an octagonal ‘tent’.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.