YENİCEKENT BÜYÜK TEKKE (EMİR SULTAN DEDE) TOMB

The tomb located on the grounds of the Buldan Yenicekent (Derebol/Tripolis) town hall is considered to be a part of a building complex known as the Grand Dervish Lodge or called the Emir Sultan Dervish Lodge by the local people. There is no information on the identity of the entombed person in the tomb as well as no tablet or epitaph indicating the era the tomb was built.The tomb is of octagonal design with an octagonal prism body and aside from the door front all façades are arranged symmetrically. Its tignum is consistent with the materials of the travertine of the Tripolis ancient city. The metal components placed on the double wing wooden door surfaces are an exquisite example of metal art in terms of both technique and decoration. In addition to hinge, lock (rezene), door ring pads, herbal decorations on rings and rosettes, it also contains dragon head door handles which is a rarity in Turkish art. The smooth plaster surfaces covering the interior walls of the tomb are adorned with the carving technique and hand-drawn inscriptions. Agricultural tools, ewer, herbal and geometrical images can be seen in the carved depictions. The black ink hand-drawn inscriptions on the other hand include couplets, prayers and notes pertaining to daily life. Some of the depictions are also recognized to be of magic and talisman content.

Scientific excavations were carried out in the tomb area in 2021 within the scope of conservation and restoration works. With the work carried out, building stones belonging to the architectural elements of the building that remained underground were found, and around 30 graves were identified, showing that the area around the building was a cemetery where burials took place for many years. The tomb, which has a special position among the Early Turkish Period structures in Denizli and its surroundings, can be dated to the 14th or 15th century, considering the data obtained during the excavations and the architectural features of the building.