Gonbad-e Qābus


World Heritage Identification Number: 1398

World Heritage since: 2012

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇮🇷 Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific

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Gonbad-e Qābus: A Unique Tomb Tower in North-East Iran

The Gonbad-e Qābus, located in the small town of Gonbad-e Qabus in the northeastern part of Iran, stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the region. This remarkable structure, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, is a unique example of Islamic architecture that showcases the interplay between Central Asian nomadic cultures and the ancient civilization of Iran.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The 53 m high tomb built in ad 1006 for Qābus Ibn Voshmgir, Ziyarid ruler and literati, near the ruins of the ancient city of Jorjan in north-east Iran, bears testimony to the cultural exchange between Central Asian nomads and the ancient civilization of Iran. The tower is the only remaining evidence of Jorjan, a former centre of arts and science that was destroyed during the Mongols’ invasion in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is an outstanding and technologically innovative example of Islamic architecture that influenced sacral building in Iran, Anatolia and Central Asia. Built of unglazed fired bricks, the monument’s intricate geometric forms constitute a tapering cylinder with a diameter of 17–15.5 m, topped by a conical brick roof. It illustrates the development of mathematics and science in the Muslim world at the turn of the first millennium AD.

Encyclopedia Record: Gonbad-e Qabus (tower)

Gonbad-e Qabus or Gonbad-e Qabus Tower is a monument in Gonbad-e Qabus, Iran, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. It marks the grave of Ziyarid ruler Qabus, and was built during his lifetime in 1006/7. It is a cylindrical tomb tower that reaches c. 61 metres and can be seen from some 30 kilometres away. The eponymous city is named after the monument.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 1.4754 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (i) — Masterpiece of human creative genius
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape

Coordinates: 37.2580277778 , 55.169

Image

Image of Gonbad-e Qābus

© Hadi Karimi, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Hyrcanian Forests
52 km — Azerbaijan, Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Parthian Fortresses of Nisa
279 km — Turkmenistan
Golestan Palace
378 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Trans-Iranian Railway
381 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)
The Persian Caravanserai
416 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Country Information: Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Flag of Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Official Name: Islamic Republic of Iran

Capital: Tehran

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 91,567,738

Population (2023): 90,608,707

Population (2022): 89,524,246

Land Area: 1,622,500 sq km

Currency: Iranian rial (IRR)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Gonbad-e Qābus are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Gonbad-e Qabus (tower), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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