6/ Gunbad-e Qabus
1006-1007
Gorgan , iran
Among the most significant productions of these intense and dramatic decades , the tomb tower of Qabus Ibn Washmgir remains unique .Surging up into the sky , the monumental shaft towers over fifty metres high, dominating the surrounding plain into whose bowels its foundations sink to a depth of more than twelve metres. Ten sturdy right –angled ribs course up the barrel , proudly projecting from a structure crowned by a conical cusp that ascends into the unfathomable depth of the cosmos- an expression of self-affirmation so obvious tht it verges on hubris Governor of Gorgan between 976 and 1012 Qabus patron , a callingrapher , astrologer and linguist , a competent chess player and a brave warrior. He was murdered by nobles in his entourage exasperated at his dis trustful personality . His crystal coffin may have been suspended at some breathtaking height inside the empty hull of the tower.