«Remembering the soul, we close our eyes and smile. I remember my father with the bright smile today.” Lola Tillyaeva
«Remembering the soul, we close our eyes and smile. I remember my father with the bright smile today.
I want to dedicate this post to the history of the place where his ashes rest.
If you are from Samarkand, you most likely recognize this street in the photo. This street connects the spaces between the past and the present, the other world and this one. On the right side lies the oldest cemetery of Samarkand, and on the left side on the hill there is the President’s mausoleum and one of the most important and oldest monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Hazrat Khizr Mosque. This is one of the most revered spiritual abodes of Samarkand, it is located on the most elevated part of the city, from where a breathtaking panoramic view of ancient Samarkand with its domes and minarets, Registan Square and the entire architectural complex of Bibi-Khanym can be seen.
Hazrat Khizr is the first mosque built in Samarkand. It was erected in the 8th century AD under the patronage of Qutayba ibn Muslim. The mosque was located outside the ancient city. Situated at the crossroads of the most important trade routes connecting the East and the West, the mosque greeted the caravans passing by it, going along the Silk Road from India, China, Iran …
According to legend, Qutayba was instructed to build a mosque on this site by one of the most revered mystical figures in Islam, Hazrat Khizr. Hazrat Khizr was a righteous man who lived after the prophet Ibrahim. The God endowed the righteous Khizr with his mercy and knowledge of the secret.
According to the interpreters of the Qur’an, it is Saint Khizr who is mentioned in the Qur’an in Surah “The Cave”. It talks about how Khizr taught the Prophet Musa (Moses) to endure, not to be angry and not to condemn people for things and actions, whose meaning he does not know. According to the legend, he could green the deserts, hence his name – Khizr (green).
Many legends and parables are associated with the name of Hazrat Khizr. One of the legends says that everyone meets with Hazrat Khizr at least once in their lives, and that he can come to a person in different guises. A blessed life will be lived by the person who, upon meeting, will not offend him, and it will be truly great luck if a person can recognize Hazrat Khizr in a stranger, for not everyone can identify him.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the Hazrat Khizr Mosque was destroyed as a result of the Mongol invasion. Later it was restored and acquired its present appearance in the 19th century. The mosque is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the years of independence, work was carried out to conserve this unique monument of antiquity.
On September 3, 2016, the First President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov was buried near the Hazrat Khizr Mosque.»
Lola Tillyaeva
