The Three Tombs: Saltukid Tomb Towers of Erzurum

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1. What are the Three Tombs?
2. How do you get to the Three Tombs?
3. When is the best time to visit the Three Tombs?
4. What is the history of the Three Tombs?
5. What are the Three Tombs famous for?
6. What can you see at the Three Tombs?
7. Frequently asked questions about the Three Tombs
8. What do the official records say about the Three Tombs?

What are the Three Tombs?

The Three Tombs (Üç Kümbetler) are three free-standing tomb towers of cut stone in the old centre of Erzurum. Each has a polygonal or cylindrical body and a pointed roof, the typical form of the Turkish kümbet. The largest, an octagon carved with animal reliefs, is believed to belong to Emir Saltuk, whose dynasty ruled Erzurum after 1071.

The 2002 inventory notes that the Three Tombs hold a special place among Turkish tombs for their different plans, materials and decoration. The garden around them is now a public park, the Üç Kümbetler Millet Bahçesi, and since 2023 it has also been the site of the new Erzurum Museum.

How do you get to the Three Tombs?

The tombs are a two-minute walk south of the Double Minaret Madrasa, at the eastern end of the historic centre. From the Yakutiye Madrasa on Cumhuriyet Caddesi it is about a 15-minute walk east. Taxis and city buses run along the main avenues nearby.

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When is the best time to visit the Three Tombs?

The tombs stand in an open garden and can be seen at any time of day. Late afternoon light brings out the reliefs on the west and south faces of Emir Saltuk’s tomb. In winter the conical roofs are often capped with snow, which makes a classic Erzurum photograph. Allow extra time to visit the Erzurum Museum in the same garden.

What is the history of the Three Tombs?

The inventory explains that the octagonal tomb is thought to belong to Emir Saltuk, founder of the Saltukid state, and that it is not known who built the other two. The tombs are generally accepted as dating to the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century as a group, but the largest is older: its exact date is unknown, and it is thought to have been built at the end of the 12th century in the name of the Saltukid ruler İzzeddin Saltuk.

The Saltukids were among the first Turkish dynasties to settle in eastern Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, and they ruled from Erzurum until 1202. Their buildings, including the castle mosque and the Great Mosque, are the oldest Turkish monuments in the city. Scholars have not agreed on exact dates for the two smaller tombs, which most place in the 14th century.

What are the Three Tombs famous for?

• The animal reliefs. The niches of Emir Saltuk’s tomb are carved with bulls, snakes, bats and eagles, and one shows a human head between a bull’s horns.
• Two-coloured masonry. The largest tomb uses alternating light and dark stone, with triangular pediments and round arches on its eight faces.
• Variety. Three different plans stand side by side: octagonal, cylindrical and twelve-sided.

What can you see at the Three Tombs?

Emir Saltuk’s tomb. The largest of the three, built entirely of cut stone on an eight-sided plan, with a tall drum and a low conical roof.

The second tomb. To the southeast of Emir Saltuk’s tomb, an anonymous tomb with a cylindrical body, thought to date from the 14th century. It is covered by a dome inside and a conical roof outside, and its decoration is simple.

The third tomb. North of the second, also thought to be 14th century. It sits on a high square base with chamfered corners, has a twelve-sided body, and is covered by a dome inside and a pyramidal roof outside.

The Erzurum Museum. Opened in August 2023 in the same garden, with about 20,000 objects from prehistory to the Ottoman period. Together, the tombs and museum make a good first stop for understanding the city.

Frequently asked questions about the Three Tombs

What do the official records say about the Three Tombs?

Of the Three Tombs, the one set on an eight-sided plan is thought to belong to Emir Saltuk, founder of the Saltukid state. It is not known who built the other two tombs, which are made entirely of cut stone. The tombs are generally accepted as belonging to the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th. Compared with other Turkish tombs, the Three Tombs hold a distinct place for their different plans, the materials used and their decoration.

The Emir Saltuk Tomb is the largest of the three. Its exact date cannot be known, but it is thought to have been built at the end of the 12th century in the name of the Saltukid ruler İzzeddin Saltuk. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Erzurum Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)