Archaeologists have unearthed a 15th-century mausoleum

 

Archaeologists have unearthed a 15th-century mausoleum from the Golden Horde era in the Korgalzhyn district of the Akmola Region, Kazakhstan.  The discovery, which includes various household items but no human remains, is expected to provide valuable insights into the burial traditions, religious rites, and culture of the Golden Horde. The mausoleum is an octagonal structure built of burnt and half-baked brick, fastened with lime mortar, and was once a site of pilgrimage. The condition of the mausoleum's structures is poor due to its location on agricultural land. Some burial structures were exposed to robberies, leading to the absence of human remains. The presence of the mausoleum indicates the existence of a previously unknown cultural, political, and sacred center of the nomadic hordes who inhabited the steppes of Kazakhstan. The Golden Horde, also known as the Ulug Ulus ("Great State") in Turkic, was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate founded in the 13th century. The Golden Horde's territory extended from the Carpathian Mountains in eastern Europe to the steppes of Siberia, bordering on the Black Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, and the Iranian territories of the Mongol dynasty known as the Il-Khans.