The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-10-28

only by a ring of pedimented facades.
In the next stage these facades further
shrink into a mere arcading, and then
the kumbet type is complete. Inter
nally these buildings contain two cham
bers one above another. The lower is
the tomb-chamber; the upper is Access
sible by one or four doors, which 1t re-
CURED a ladder to reach.
About q mile away, and nearer the
shore, a far more beautiful kumbet ex-
lists, the finest example Of Armenian
art as modified by Mussulman builders.
Once there were two neal together
here, also, but one of them collapsed
about twenty years ago. Tradition"
says Lynch, relates that these compan-
ion tombs are the burial places of two
brothers, and the work of a single
architect. For the elder brother was
designed the structure which has now
fallen, and Is said to have been greatly
inferior to that which stands. This in
dividual lived to see the more finished
monument erected, and to brood over
the invidious contrast between his own
and his brothers tomb. His anger was
visited upon the daring architect, who
was condemned to lose his right hand.
The fallen tomb was made for the
great and noble emir, Shadi Agha," who
died in 1878. The standing Kumbet Is
nameless. 1t is o large; each side of
its base measures only 80 feet. None
of the great monuments of the world
are large. Great size usually connotes
| poverty of design in monumental archi-
| lecture or sculpture. But this nameless
tomb by the shores of Van is of very
perfect Quallty-admirable in proper
! lions, fine In finish, and its restricted
ornament very beautiful and very elab-
crate.
One wonders how such buildings
come to fall. They are formed solid
ly of stone and the masonry seems of
good quality. The domed area inside
is small and the walls thick enough
to carry the weight and bear the
thrust, one would suppose, forever.
Probably the mortar is poor, and
then there are earthquakes which
SILVER them from time to time. All
my photographs of kumbets show
suggestive cracks, and those taken of
the same building after a few years
interval indicate hat the cracks are
widening and multiplying.
Built of Pink Stone.
The Akhlat monuments owe some
thing to the pink volcanic stone of
which they are built. Seen against Il
clear blue sky on a day of sunshine
.ut4I Az oaI., xrofnrc nf fhn lola
spreading away beyond them to far
distant hills, their solitary statell-
ness commands the attention and re-
tains it. A glance shows the perfec-
ton of the best of them. Like all
fine Mussulman buildings it produces
its full effect at q Gothic cathedral,
to realize its excellence. You do not
ever need to walk round it. 1t is the
same from every point of view--al-
ways satisfying, always complete, al
ways faultless.
One other kumbet deserves to be
mentioned. 1t is situated close to the
south shore of the lake, a days ride
from the city Of Van. The gardens of
Vostan stretch up behind 1t, owe the
lower slopes of the Ardos hills and
not far away is that holy island of
Akhthamar mentioned before. The
date of this also is recorded 1882,
showing 1t to be half a century later
than the isolated tomb at 'Akhlat. 1t
is obviously initiated from that, with
changes which are not improvements.
The circle has gone back to a polygon.
The characteristic Armenian inches
are multiplied and set in small panels.