Abarkūh

Abarkuh stands on the dry plateau between Yazd, Shiraz and Isfahan. Its old buildings include the Gonbad-e Ali, an octagonal stone tomb raised on a rocky height above the plain in 1056–57. The Friday mosque preserves an elaborate Ilkhanid prayer niche, while an ancient cypress outside the town was already noted by medieval writers. These landmarks give the oasis a distinctive profile against the surrounding desert country.

In 1051 the Seljuk ruler Tughril granted Abarkuh and Yazd to the Kakuyid prince Abu Mansur Faramarz after taking Isfahan from him. The town later appeared frequently in the history of the Muzaffarids during the fourteenth century. Its mosque was embellished in the Ilkhanid period, when craftsmen carved inscriptions and intricate stucco around the mihrab. The city remained a stopping place on the route between the cities of Fars and Yazd.