- Sheihantaur
The
Mausoleum ofSheikh Hovendi at-Tahur (Sheihantaur) is one of the most significant architectural monuments inTashkent , Uzbekistan.heikh Hovendi at-Tahur
Sheikh Hovendi at-Tahur (Sheihantaur) was born at the end of 13th century. He was a
Sayyid , meaning that he claimed descent from theQuraish , the tribe of the prophetMuhammad . His father, Sheikh Umar, was believed to be a direct descendant in the seventeenth generation of the second righteous CaliphUmar ibn al-Khattab , therefore male members of this family also bore the famous title of "Khoja " ("Khwaja"). Sheikh Khoja Umar was a devotedSufi and one of the followers ofDervish Hasan Bulgari. He arrived in Tashkent with a mission to disseminateIslam . He then moved to the mountain settlement ofBog-i Ston where he spent the rest of his life. Thus the birthplace of Sheikh Khoja Hovendi at-Tahur was Bog-i Ston ( [http://www.pagetour.narod.ru/tashkent/str/Bogiston.html see pictures] ) close to the Charvak Lake in theTashkent Province of Uzbekistan. Young Sheihantaur was initiated into theYasaviyya order of Dervishes in the town of Yasi (now Turkestan in modern-dayKazakhstan ) where already at that time the Sufi SheikhKhoja Ahmad Yasavi , the founder of the order, was revered. After long wanderings around Ma wara'u'n-nahr, Sheihantaur came to Tashkent where he remained in the memory of the people as the wisest of the wise. The Sheikh died between 1355 and 1360.The Mausoleum of Sheihantaur
The Mausoleum ("Mazar") of Sheihantaur was erected in 14th century, but its outward appearance has changed repeatedly over the years. There is a unique sacred "Saur" of Iskander beside the gravestone of the Mausoleum. The "Saur" is a local variety of coniferous tree, which was already all but extinct in the 15th century. Is believed that their origin is connected with the name of
Alexander the Great , who is widely honoured in the East as a mythical hero or "Pahlewan". It is possible that this spot was chosen as Sheihantaur's burial place owing to presence here of these remarkable Saurs. The proportions of the Mausoleum are: 16.2 x 9 m. width, 12.8 m. height.haihantaur burial complex
The Mausoleum is now surrounded by a burial complex to which the saint has given his name. Until the Soviet period the name Shaihantaur was applied to a whole district (locally "mahalla"). of the city of Tashkent. Many of the outstanding persons of Tashkent's history were buried here during the ensuing years. One of them was the "Hakem" (chief of mahalla) of Sheihantaur, Yunus Khoja, the ruler of Tashkent when it was a semi-independent city-state in the 18th century. Another remarkable person, buried here, was Alimqul Parvarchi - the Kokandian General who defended Tashkent against the Russians in 1864-5, but was eventually killed in skirmish before
Chimkent , shortly before the two-day siege of Tashkent by General Mikhail Grigorevich Cherniaev in 1865, which led to the capture of the city.Of the sixteen monuments of the Shaihantaur burial complex only three remain intact. In addition to the Mausoleum of Shaihantaur, the Mausoleum of Qaldirghochbiy and that of Yunus Khan of Moghulistan are also to be found at that place.
Qaldirghochbiy Mausoleum
[http://www.pagetour.narod.ru/tashkent/Qaldirghochbiy-Mausoleum.html Qaldirghochbiy Mausoleum] is a burial vault with a pyramidal dome, which is uncommon in Uzbekistan. Tole-biy (Qaldirghochbiy) was a legendary judge from the Dughlat
tribe , which once actually ruled Tashkent in the days of theChagatai Khanate . The Mausoleum was erected in the first half of the 15th century. The yard and its decoration have not been well-maintained. Proportions: 9.5 x 9.5 m., room: 6 x 6 m.The Musoleum of Yunus Khan
[http://www.pagetour.org/tashkent/Mausoleum-of-Unus-Khan.html The Musoleum of Unus-Khan] is located close to the mausoleum of Sheihantaur. It is one of two monumental buildings constructed in the XV century, which still can be seen today.
Yunus Khan ofMoghulistan (1415-1487) was one of Tashkent's rulers.The Mausoleum of Sheihantaur has changed much over the centuries
ee also
*
Gates of Tashkent
*Tourism in Uzbekistan External links
* [http://tashkent.freenet.uz/e_shk.htm Tashkent history and photos.]
* [http://www.pagetour.narod.ru/tashkent/Sheihantaur.html The Mausoleum of Sheihantaur] [http://www.pagetour.narod.ru/tashkent/bmap_2.html , location.]
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