Architectural decoration of the mausoleum no. 1 of the khan necropolis nearby the village of Lapas in the Astrakhan region

Abstract

This article continues a series of scientific works aimed at the study of the central mausoleum of the Khan necropolis nearby the village of Lapas in the Astrakhan region. It deals with one of the elements of architectural decoration – a tile-lintel, most often found and having a wide variety of types. The article examines the genesis of this type of tile and the ways of its appearance in the Lower Volga region. A wide range of analogies at the sites of medieval architecture of Central Asia is engaged. The authors made a technological analysis of this group of items, examined in detail all the types of revealed ornaments, and determined a scheme for recording the sizes of the findings. For the first time, a detailed typology has been developed for the tiles-lintels, including all the samples known on the site to date. In addition to architectural and artistic features, tiles-lintels have a chrono-marker function, allowing, together with other information sources, to date the construction time of the mausoleum.

Keywords

• archaeology
• golden horde
• lapas
• khan necropolis
• mausoleum
• architectural decor
• typology
• tile-lintel
• ornament