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Dargah_e_Shareef_Hazrat_Bahauddin_Naqshband_Bukhara
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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "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 ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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