The Mausoleum of Bendebike: High-Status Funeral Monument from the Territory of the Shiban Ulus: study history and context

Abstract

The Mausoleum of Bendebike is the only brick structure explored by archaeologists within the modern borders of Bashkiria. The significance of this building lies both in its architectural features, which give an idea of the Central Asian ‘peripheral’ school of Golden Horde architects, and in the veneration of the mausoleum by the local population, which was reflected in the appearance of the Bashkir legend Bendebike and Erense-sesen. Interesting details of construction features are presented in the paper, based on the scientific reports by N.A. Mazhitov, which have not been reflected in the literature. On the basis of archaeological data and the spatial distribution of archaeological monuments in the mausoleum area (barrows, burial mounds, ancient villages), it is concluded that the mausoleum was built in an area, which probably served as a meridional route for the seasonal movements of the nomads of the Shiban ulus, from nomadic sites along the right bank of the Ural river to the southern bend of the Belaya river along a narrow steppe corridor east of the Malyi Nakas ridge.

Keywords

• archaeology of the golden horde
• mausoleum
• architecture
• shiban ulus
• islam
• nomads
• kypchaks
• bendebike