The tomb is part of The State Historical and Cultural Park "Ancient Merv", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[5] Despite its restorations, the Tomb is still missing features such as its second story, the turquoise covered outer dome, and the surrounding buildings in the complex.

[2] However, for the rest of his reign over the next twelve years, Sanjar continued to put down conflicts from his rivals such as the governor of Khwarazm in 1141 and the vassal ruler of the province of Ghūr in 1152.

[14] Merv remained severely depopulated in the period following the Mongol invasion and the tomb deteriorated further due to centuries of neglect.

The door was surrounded with new bricks, steps leading up to the entrance area were built, and a paved and walled forecourt was constructed.

[16] Standing alone in the ruins of the city of Merv, Turkmenistan, at the edge of the Karakum Desert, the building sits much lower than most other domed structures built at the time.

[23] Composed of a squat cube topped by a large round dome, the upper story is surrounded by turrets which have deteriorated over time.

The majority of secular funerary architecture did not survive the Seljuk period, however, the tomb of Ahmad Sanjar remained intact and went on to influence future domed building.

[27] The doubled-domed Seljuk style of the Tomb of Ahmad Sanjar proved a lasting influence on the domed architecture of the Ilkhanid, Timurid and Safavid periods that followed.

[30] The tomb is the first example of a mosque-mausoleum amalgam known to history and this architectural combination would go on to become widespread in the tradition of Islamic buildings and complexes.

[31] The influence of Ahmad Sanjar’s mausoleum is evidenced by multiple architectural additions at the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, including two of its domes.

[6] Similarly, internal stiffener implements applied at the Sultaniyya Mausoleum in Cairo demonstrate the influence of Seljuk building techniques.

[33] Other Islamic funerary architecture that derived influence from the Seljuk style of the Tomb of Ahmad Sanjar include examples such as the Sultan Bakht Aqa mausoleum, the Mir-chaqmaq mosque and the Sultani madrasa.