The tomb of Asik Pasa was built by Emir Eretna Alaeddin (1336-1352). Some sources date the tomb to 1322, while others cite 1333, the year of Asik Pasa's death. Asik Pasa (1272-1333) was an important poet, a devout Sufi, and a religious sheikh. His works are among the first that were written in Ottoman Turkish, a language that was not previously deemed worthy of literature.
His tomb, constructed of white marble, is large cube topped by an octagonal, tent-shaped dome. Architecturally it is unlike any other Seljuk building and draws on monuments built by the Fatimids in Egypt. The entrance is via a porch on the north edge of the west façade, notable both for its asymmetrical placement and its large scalloped vault above the low doorway. The door opens into a passageway covered by a barrel vault that flanks the burial chamber to its north. An inscription from one of Asik Pasa's poems is carved in a recess in front of the dome.
Sources:
Akurgal, Ekrem, and Léo Hilber.
The Art and architecture of Turkey, 134. New York: Rizzoli, 1980.
Aslanapa, Oktay.
Turkish art and architecture, 175. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1971.
Bayrak, M. Orhan.
Türkiye Tarihi Yerler Kilavuzu, 429. Istanbul: Inkilap Kitabevi, 1994.
Encyclopeadia Britannica, academic edition. "Asik Pasa." Accessed May 26, 2004.
http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article?eu=9989.