Tomb of Şah Sultan Hatun

The Tomb of Şah Sultan Hatun, in the Çandır district of Yozgat, is regarded as one of the most important examples of Anatolian tomb (türbe/kümbet) architecture. It belongs to Şah Sultan Hatun, wife of Şahruh Bey — son of the Dulkadirid ruler Alaüddevle Bey — and daughter of Şehsuvar Bey. An inscription on the sarcophagus inside, dated 905 AH (1499-1500 CE), indicates the tomb was built in this period; Şahruh Bey is recorded as having commissioned it eight or nine years after his wife's death. Built of finely cut stone on an octagonal plan, with a domed interior and a pyramidal exterior roof, the structure's façade alternates light brown and grey stone courses, lending the architecture a striking visual depth. Its marble-framed entrance takes the form of a pointed portal crowned with five rows of muqarnas ornamentation. Numerous old gravestones surround the tomb, and a wall enclosing the small burial ground has helped the structure survive for nearly five centuries with relatively little damage. Bearing witness to the presence of the Dulkadirid principality in Anatolia, the tomb stands out among Yozgat's historic monuments both for its architectural refinement and as a tangible document of a dynastic history now largely forgotten elsewhere in the region.