The Sheikhantaur Ensemble

In the very heart of Tashkent, between four central streets, in the shade of trees, there is a unique historical monument consisting of three mausoleums – the Sheikhantaur Ensemble. Once here, the visitor seems to be transported from modern Tashkent to an ancient oasis, in the shade of the trees of which Alexander the Great, Sheikh Hovendi at-Tohur, the great Amir Temur and even Sergei Yesenin, who came for inspiration, once rested. 

The oldest building of the city, the Mausoleum of Sheikhantaur, is the center of this ensemble. To get a better feeling of its atmosphere, you need to start getting acquainted with the most ancient legends about this place.

Since ancient times, there has been a house on the territory of the modern mausoleum, the “source of eternal life”, which the Zoroastrians worshipped. According to legend, Alexander the Great rested at this water sourse, who, taking water into his two-horned helmet, sprinkled it on the ground, after which Iskander's Sauras grew there, and were subsequently called Sauras Alley. Along with the “source of eternal life”, these long-lived trees also became an object of worship among the local pre-Islamic population, where the cult of long-lived trees was widespread. The Zoroastrian temple of “Water and Fire" was also located here.

In the XIV century, Sheikh Hovendi at-Tahur liked to rest at a water sourse surrounded with auras. A descendant of the Prophet Muhammad from the Seyid family, a Sufi, a member of the Order of Khoja Ahmed Yassavi, arrived from Turkestan, where he learned the secrets of Sufism, in Tashkent, in order to spread Islam. In the memory of the residents of Tashkent, he remained as “The Wisest of the wisest”, they also fulfilled the last will of Sheikh Hovendi – burying him in the shadow of the sauras near the water sourse.

The great Amir Timur came to the life-giving water sourse after the death of Sheikh Hovendi at-Tahur, in the shade of the alleys he sought salvation from the pain in his leg, which developed after his injury. Only after visiting this place, the pain in his leg subsided, and then the great emir ordered the construction of a mausoleum over the grave of Sheikhantaur.

The mausoleum consists of two rooms, in the first – the burial of the Sheikh, in the second – the burial of his wife and son. Despite the fact that the appearance of the mausoleum changed after the reconstructions, one thing remains unchanged – one of the petrified Sauras of Iskander has been preserved at his grave to this day, and the grove itself that surrounded the mausoleum was petrified in the XV century.

Another mausoleum from the ensemble – the Kaldyrgach-biy’s mausoleum catches the eye with its non-standard pyramid-shaped dome. A mausoleum was erected in honor of Tolebi Alibekuly, a famous preacher and judge who was originally from the territory of modern Kazakhstan. Tolebi is also famous for the fact that he ruled Tashkent for 6 years, calling on the population to agriculture, education, settlement and borrowing the best features from other folks.

According to legend, in 1723, when the population learned about the onset of the Dzungars, they began to leave their homes in a hurry. Tole-bi stayed in the city, and when he was brought to Galdan Tseren, who led the Dzungarian campaign, and asked why he did not leave the city with everyone, Tole-bi replied that he did not dismantle his yurt because of the nest of a swallow with chicks that had settled there quite recently. The amazed conqueror spared Tole-bi, whom after this incident everyone began to call Kaldirgoch-biy (from Turk language “Kaldirgoch” means “swallow”). The Dzungars tried to impose Buddhism on the territory of modern Tashkent, however, Tole-bi led the resistance by liberating the territory from the conquerors.

Kaldyrgach-biy died at the age of 93 and was buried at the Sheikhantaur cemetery. The unusual pyramid-shaped dome of his mausoleum is located on a 12-sided drum and symbolizes the native lands of steppe nomads, imitating the mountain peaks of the Tien Shan and Alatau. The mausoleum hall itself is in the shape of a cross, consists of 4 alcoves, in the corners of which are circular staircases and hujras. The Kaldyrgach-biy’s crypt is square in shape, located above the main hall. The facade of the building is practically not lined and only the dome has preserved stalactites of the XV century. The adjacent territory and the courtyard of the mausoleum have not been preserved to this day.

The last mausoleum of the Sheikhantaur ensemble is the mausoleum of Yunus Khan of Mogolistan. Yunus Khan unites two powerful dynasties, he is a descendant of Genghis Khan, and his grandson is Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur. Yunus Khan became the ruler of Tashkent when it was divided into 4 Dohas who were constantly at enmity with each other. In 1784, he united 4 Doha among themselves and achieved peace, which prevailed in this territory for 25 years. During his reign Tashkent became independent and was guarded by mercenary troops.

Subsequently, Yunus Khan, due to the paralysis that struck him, was forced to hand over the rule to his sons, and he spent 2 years before his death in a dervish Sufi monastery at the grave of Gavendi at-Tahur, where he was subsequently buried. After Yunus Khan's death, his sons erected a mausoleum in Tashkent as a sign of respect for their father. This mausoleum is the largest of the entire ensemble, two-storied with hujras, in the style of a T-shaped khanaka (Sufi monastery, shelter of dervishes and pilgrims) and has no analogues throughout Central Asia, except Iran. The mausoleum has a double dome, and its entrance is decorated with a high pointed arch. From the outside, the mausoleum has a rather ascetic look, decorated with a famous ornament in the style of “girih” and calligraphic Arabic script. The door to the mausoleum was moved here from the demolished mosque in the 1930s. Under the top of the dome mukarnas in the form of stalactites. A unique feature of the mausoleum is the ancient musical instrument chang, which is installed between the door panels, thanks to which they become musical. However, the tomb of the ruler of Tashkent, Yunus Khan, has not been found and its place remains a mystery to this day.

The Sheikhantaur Ensemble is a significant architectural monument, touching the walls of which, you can touch history, because it was the walls of the mausoleums of the ensemble that saw how history was created,