Noah's Mausoleum (Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan)

The Tomb of Prophet Noah (Azerbaijani: Nuh peyğəmbər türbəsi) or Noah's Mausoleum (Armenian: Նոյի գերեզման) is a mausoleum in the city of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Architecture of the construction is dated from the 8th century.^[1] As, according to Armenian tradition, Nakhchivan was founded by Noah.^[2]

Noah's tomb is located in the town of Nakhchivan. The mausoleum was originally part of a medieval Armenian church structure, monastery, and pilgrimage site dating back to the 12th or 13th-century.^[3] 19th century Russian and European sources such as the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary and John Foster Fraser noted that the local Armenians considered it a holy place.^[4][5] James Theodore Bent in his 1986 The Contemporary Review described the site as a popular Christian Armenian shrine.^[6] The original Armenian structure was destroyed by the Soviets in 1953. A new modern Islamic mausoleum was constructed by the Republic of Azerbaijan over the former tomb-mausoleum; reflecting the state-sponsored denial of Armenian’s contribution to the history of the region.^[3]

The current mausoleum was built in 2006. The tomb consists of the remains of the lower storey of a former temple. There is a ladder leading to a burial vault. There is a stone column in the middle of the vault. According to legend, relics of Noah are under this column. A portrait describing the mausoleum of Noah 100 years ago painted by Bahruz Kangarli is saved in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan.

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  Postcard of the Russian Empire

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  Postcard of the Russian Empire

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  Mausoleum in the portrait by Behruz Kangarli, the early 20th century

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  Postage stamp of Azerbaijan, 2010

• İlandağ of the Lesser Caucasus
• Nuh

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• [2]

39°11′42″N 45°24′41″E / 39.19500°N 45.41139°E