History of ornamentation on the ancient mosque of the Turkmen city of Anau

The ornamentation of dragons on the portal of the ancient mosque of the city of Anau has an interesting unique history. This is reported by the Westiabad online edition.

According to an ancient legend, at the time when the queen of Seyit Jamal ad-Din was in power, a bell was placed at the entrance of the city in case of trouble. One day, the bell was rung by a huge dragon named Azhdarkha. The ruler ordered to find out what the dragon wanted. Azhdarkha led the masters to one of the gorges of Kopetdag where his fellow dragon was suffering. A mountain sheep was stuck in the dragon's throat with its horns pierced across. The craftsmen extracted the ram's carcass, freeing the dragon from its torment.

In gratitude, the dragon pointed the craftsmen to a cave full of gold and jewels. The next morning, when the bell rang again, the townspeople saw two dragons bringing gold and jewels. The money was used to build the "House of Beauty" with the famous dragon ornament.

This legend was recorded in 1904 by the first researcher of the mosque Rafael Pampelli and is now presented in the scientific encyclopedia of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan.