Archaeological studies of the complex of mausoleums of the XIVcentury nearby the Lapas village of the Astrakhan region
In the field season of 2022 by the Institute of Archaeology of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (within the framework of the State program of the Republic of Tatarstan “Preservation of the national identity of the Tatar people (2020-2024)”) the study of the complex of medieval mausoleums nearby the Lapas village in the Astrakhan region continued (began in 2018). (http://archtat.ru/issledovaniya-instituta-arheologii-im-a-h-halikova-na-selitrennom-gorodishhe-i-komplekse-mavzoleev-u-sela-lapas-astrahanskaya-oblast/).
The complex of mausoleums is located in the Kharabali district of the Astrakhan region and has been known for a long time. There are references to it in notes of travelers and diplomats since the 18th century, where the mausoleums mentioned as ‘royal burials’. It is assumed that they belong to the khans of the Golden Horde and their entourage.
This year through the western wall of the mausoleum 1, the largest in the site, was made an excavation with the area of 160 m2 (40 x 4 m). The excavation was laid out in order to clarify the construction of the walls and the interior of the building, and the supposed wall structures outside the mausoleum.
In the course of the work it was found that the mausoleum had been repeatedly damaged in the past, carried out for extracting burned bricks. Traces of actions to pull down the mausoleum were well reflected in the stratigraphy of the object in the form of alternating layers of brick pieces, glazed tiles and displaced sand.
During the excavations it was found that the inner space of the mausoleum was lined with a brick floor, that was coated with a thin layer of alabaster mortar. The floor was made of square bricks measuring 26 x 26 x 4-5 cm and laid on a sandy “pillow”, that in turn, was poured onto a “foundation” constructed of small fragments of facing bricks.
The mausoleum wall has not been found. In its place a trench formed after the pulling down of the wall was identified. The trench is filled with sand and construction waste. Next year, additional archaeological studies are expected to find the remains of the mausoleum wall.
During the archaeological works numerous fragments of architectural decor were found, covered with blue glaze, or transparent glaze with underglaze painting in pale blue and blue tints. An important finding confirming that the excavated construction is a mausoleum was the discovery of a fragment of a structural element of domed buildings – a squinch.
Simultaneously with the excavation works an aerial photography of the territory of the complex continued. In addition, lidar survey of the area was carried out. In total, more than 400 hectares were surveyed. Based on the received data , accurate area plans and elevation maps will be made.
