Architecture: US aids restoration of historic architecture in Turkmenistan

USINFO.STATE.GOV reports that the United States is funding the restoration and preservation of priceless historic architecture in Turkmenistan.

Support for the two restoration projects, the Ak-Saray-Ding Tower in Kunya Urgench and the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum, comes from the U.S. Department of State's 2005 Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.

The Ak-Saray-Ding Tower is located in the northern Turkmenistan town of Kunya Urgench and has become a center for Sunni Muslim pilgrimage. Located near the tower is a saint's cemetery where Turkmen say that God receives their prayers.

According to Turkmen legend, the Ak-Saray-Ding Tower represents the gift of a rich man to his young daughter, who suffered an untimely death. The daughter appeared to her father in a dream, requesting him to build her a "Kejebe," or saddle with canopy, traditionally placed atop a bride’s camel during Turkmen wedding processions. He built the Ak-Saray-Ding Tower, unique in its "Kejebe" appearance, over her grave.

Legends surrounding the monument differ. During the 1950s, the "Khorezm Expedition" visually inspected the site and indicated that it may be the top of a watchtower for a long buried city.