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1.
Prophet Daniel's Tomb
:: 2. Shahr-i-Zindar :: 3.
Imam al Bukhari
4. Baha al-Din al-Naqshbandi
:: 5.
Sheikh Khwaja Sha Bahuddin
6.
Shaykh Sayyid 'Amir al-Kulal
:: 7. Other places of Interest
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Prophet
Daniel's Tomb
Situated
on the outskirts of dusty Samarkand, among rolling hills
and bordered by a quiet stream, the Tomb of the Prophet
Daniel is a much-visited holy place for Islamic, Christian
and Jewish pilgrims. Known locally as the Mausoleum
of Khodja Daniar, the crypt is believed to contain the
arm of Prophet Daniel. According to local legends, this
ancient relic was brought to Samarkand by the warrior
king Tamerlane after he stole it from Makkah. The length
of the crypt, being over 18 meters long and far larger
than is necessary for a simple arm bone, is explained
by a curious legend stating that the arm bone miraculously
grows larger with each passing year.
Shrine of Prophet Daniel, Samarkand
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Shahr-i-Zindar : Another important
pilgrimage site in Samarkand is Shahr-i-Zindar, a mausoleum
complex dating from the 7th century. Shahr-i-Zindar
stands for 'The Living King' and refers to the grave
of Qusam ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Mohammed,
who is said to have first introduced Islam to Central
Asia in 676. Under the Abbasids his tomb was venerated
and the legend developed that he did not die but was
miraculously engulfed in a cliff, hence the name 'The
Living King'. According to the great Islamic traveler
Ibn Battuta, the shrine was so famous that it was not
destroyed during the Mongol invasions. Today the shrine
is in a much-dilapidated condition but is still visited
by many hundreds of pilgrims each day. Other nearby
tombs, dating mostly to the 14th and 15th centuries,
belong to the family and friends of Tamerlane and Ulugh
Beg. In the Samarkand region there are two other pilgrimage
shrines called Khodja Abdi Darun and Chupan Ata.
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Shrine of Imam al Bukhari Samarkand Uzbekistan
Twelve
kilometers north of Samarkand stands the recently renovated
shrine complex of the 9th century Islamic saint Muhammad
Ibn Ismail al-Bukhari. Born in Bukhara in 810 AD, he
made a pilgrimage to Makkah as a teenage boy, spent 12
years living there and then traveled widely throughout
the Muslim world collecting Hadith, these being the
traditional sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Nearly
3000 of these were compiled into a book known as Al-Jami
al-sahih, which is considered by many Sunni Muslims
to be the most authoritative collection of Hadith and
a religious book second only to the Koran. Al-Bukhari
died in 870 and his tomb became a celebrated place of
pilgrimage for Muslims from throughout Central Asia.
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The
shrine of the Sufi saint Baha al-Din al-Naqshbandi,
Bukhara
The
Naqshbandi Sufi order, which traces its lineage back
to Ali, Abu Bakr and other central figures in early
Islam derives its name from that of a 14thcentury Central
Asian mystic named Baha al-Din al-Naqshbandi. Born in
1317 AD, in the village of Qasr al-'Arifan near Bukhara,
he experienced profound visionary revelations in his
youth, became a brilliant Islamic scholar before the
age of twenty, made the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah three
times and became a greatly venerated holy man during
his life time. Visitors from across Central Asia came
to Bukhara to see the sage, seek his advice, and receive
teachings in the school he had established. Following
his death in 1388, Sheikh Baha al-Din al-Naqshbandi
was buried adjacent to his school, directly upon the
site of an ancient pagan temple.
Historical
records from the medieval era indicate that Naqshbandi
was revered as a saint and a protector of craftsman
and artists, and that pilgrimage to his grave was considered
an adequate substitution for the Hajj pilgrimage to
Makkah. Successive kings of Bukhara expanded the school
and mosques surrounding Naqshbandi's grave and over
the centuries the complex became the largest center
of Islamic learning in Central Asia. During the Soviet
period, the mosque was turned into a "museum of
atheism" and pilgrims were forbidden to visit.
In 1989 the shrine was reopened and the entire complex,
with two mosques and a 16th century khanaka (a domed
hall where the Sufis lived and studied), has been carefully
restored. Lovely shaded gardens surround the shrine
and the entire site radiates a palpable feeling of religious
devotion and peaceful relaxation. Dressed in colorful
traditional clothes and speaking a variety of languages,
pilgrims from distant parts of Central Asia flock to
the saint's grave throughout the year.
The
Naqshbandi Sufi order is one of the oldest living traditional
Sufi orders. The early members of the order rejected
outward shows of religious expression and concentrated
upon the inner spiritual life while engaged in the affairs
of the world. With followers throughout Central Asia,
Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, the Naqshbandi
Sufis, as both traveling merchants and mystics, played
a major role in the introduction of Islam across Asia.
Believing that piety is better expressed by social activity
than retreat from the world, the Naqshbandi masters
often became actively involved in politics. By the 15th
century they had become the dominant Sufi order in much
of Central Asia and actively influenced politics from
China to India to the Middle East. Today the Naqshbandiyya
is the foremost Sufi order in the world and is experiencing
an unprecedented period of growth, not only in its traditional
heartlands of Central Asia, Turkey, the Middle East
and South Asia, but in nations of the Western world,
particularly the United States and Great Britain.
Pilgrims walking under holy tree, making wishes,
Shrine of Nashqabandi
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Imaam of tariqat Sheikh Khwaja Sha Bahuddin
Naqshband (RA)
Moulana
Sheikh Nazim says of Shah Bahauddin Naqshaband (ral),
“Shah
Naqshaband, Imam ut Tariqa is the Pir. Pir means the
Imam. Imam means the pillar. He is the main Pillar for
our Tariqa. May Allah bless him and give his blessing
to all of us in this world and in the hereafter. Shah
Naqshaband says “Thareeqathun isthufal khalqa jamee-an”.
We are trying to be followers and to follow. It is a
lovely and easy way to power. There is an engine running
in front of the train. All heavy work is done by that
engine. Behind this engine there are several other wagons
that are joined to each other in a chain, but the main
power comes through that engine, the one that is in
front of the train. As the other wagons are joined to
the engine, they move with the engine. Where the engine
goes it takes along the wagons. Even though the wagons
or the followers have no power of their own, where the
engine goes, they too can travel. They can also travel
to the destination of the engine. Therefore, every Tariqat
has an Imam of the Tariqat.” The Imam-ut-Tariqa
has been given the power to carry people from Asfala
safileena ilaa a’laa illiyyeen – from the
lowest to the highest stations. By ourselves to achieve
this is impossible. You cannot fly without a plane.
However with a plane you can even go from one continent
to another. Therefore, you must use these means to go
from your low level to the higher levels”
Click
here to know complete details ...
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"The
Saints of Mastery are the Masters of all Saints."
- Shaykh Sayyid 'Amir al-Kulal
Shaykh Sayyid 'Amir al-Kulal (qs), was born in the village
of Sukhar, two miles from Bukhara. His family were Sayyid,
descendants of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu'alayhi
wa sallam. His mother said, "When I was pregnant
with him, whenever my hand went towards doubtful food,
I would be unable to convey it to my mouth. This happened
to me many times. I knew that I had someone special
in my womb. I was careful and chose my food from the
best and assuredly halal (lawful) food."
Click
here to know complete details ...
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Other
Places of Interest
Aq-Saray
Palace
Timur's Summer Palace, the “White Palace”
was planned as the most grandiose of all Timur's constructions.
It was started in 1380 by artisans deported by Timur
from the recently-conquered Khwarezm. Unfortunately,
only traces of its gigantic 65 m gate-towers survive,
with blue, white and gold mosaics. Above the entry of
the Ak-Saray are big letters saying: "If you challenge
our power - look at our buildings!"
Kok
Gumbaz Mosque / Dorut Tilyovat Complex
A Friday mosque built in 1437 by Ulugh Beg in honor
of his father Shah Rukh, its name meaning “Blue
Dome”. Located immediately behind the Kok Gumbaz
Mosque is the so-called “House of Meditation”,
a mausoleum built by Ulugh Beg in 1438 but apparently
never used for burials.
Hazrat-i
Imam Complex
East of the Kok Gumbaz is another mausoleum complex
called Dorussiadat (Seat of Power and Might), which
contains the Tomb of Jehangir, Timur’s eldest and
favorite son. The adjacent mosque is said to house the
tomb of a revered 8th century imam from Iraq, Hazrat-i
Imam, "Holy Imam".
Dorussiadat mausoleum Tomb of Timur
Behind the Hazrat-i Imam Emsemble is a bunker with a
door leading to an underground chamber, discovered by
archaeologists in 1943. The room is nearly filled with
a single stone casket, on which inscriptions indicate
that it was intended for Timur. However, the conqueror
was buried in Samarkand, not at Shahrisabz, and mysteriously,
his tomb in Shahrisabz contained two unidentified corpses.
Also
of interest are medieval baths and an 18th century bazaar.
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