Tomb Tower of Meydanak

Khalus is one of the most popular access routes to the north of Iran for people of Tehran and Karaj. It is one of the most attractive roads of Iran. This road has some historical, religious and natural sites that redouble its beauty.

Historical mausoleums and tomb buildings are abundant in Iran. These buildings are usually the tombs of a highlighted religious or political person that had been built for his commemoration. Different historical periods have seen various styles of tomb architecture in the area of cultural Iran.

One of the historical buildings in Chalus road is the tomb tower of Meydanak that is among the main historical attractions of Asari county in Karaj city, Alborz province. This tower is placed 60 kilometers to Karaj, in Meydanak village, close to Gachsar. It is locally called Tahmineh Tower.

Meydanak tower has been registered in the list of Iran National Heritages. It is the tomb of one of the new members of Paduspanids (975-1014 AH) that were from the local rulers of Royan region from eighth to ninth centuries. The antiquity of this tomb building that is similar to the buildings of Mughal rule, backs to the Timurid dynasty. After Timurids, some form of tomb buildings became popular based on geometric shapes especially octagonal. The style of this tower seems to be related to the tomb towers of the seventh century AH. This stone building has a tomb with octagonal plan. Also, it has a bulging porch in west side with an entrance with three meters of width. The plan of the internal space is square form with four indents in each side. These indents indicate a cross plan.

The internal decorations are Ghatarbandi and KArbandi. The ceiling of this tower is dome-like, double-shell and conical. The external shell has been ruined and just the internal one is remained. The construction materials of the tower are stone, plaster and a kind of Sarooj mortal.

The tomb tower of Meydanak is placed in the heart of nature as a tourism attraction. It is close to the road and easily accessible for public visit.