Turkmenistan | Merv | Mausoleum of Hamadani

In an earlier post I mentioned Ghujdawani (d.1179), the first of the Seven Khwajagan of the Bukhara Oasis. Al-Ghujdawani’s teacher was Abu Ya`qub Yusuf ibn Ayyab ibn Yusuf ibn al-Husayn al-Hamadani (to give his full name). Yusuf al-Hamadani was born in 1062 in a village near the city of Hamadan in what was then Khorasan, now Iran. At the age of eighteen he moved to Baghdad where he quickly attained the reputation as one of the leading scholars of his time. 

According to a biographical Sketch of Hamadani: 

Later in his life he secluded himself and left the world behind. He became an ascetic and engaged in constant worship and mujahada (spiritual struggle). He associated with Shaykh Abdullah Ghuwayni and Shaykh Hasan Simnani, but his secret was given him by Shaykh Abu `Ali al-Farmadhi. He made progress in self-denial and contemplation until he became the Ghawth (Arch-Intercessor) of his time. He was known as the Rain of Realities and Truth and Spiritual Knowledge. He finally settled in Merv

Hamadani. For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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Uzbekistan | Bukhara Oasis | Khwajagan | Naqshbandi’s Mother

A third of a mile north-northeast of the Tomb Complex of Naqshband, the seventh of the Seven Khwajagan Of The Bukhara Oasis, is the tomb complex of his mother. It is a favorite pilgrimage site for women. 

Mosque dedicated to Naqshband’s mother . . . For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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Uzbekistan | Bukhara Oasis | Khwajagan | #7 Naqshband

Muhammad Bahauddin Shah Naqshband (1318–1389) was the seventh of the Seven Khwajagan of the Bukhara Oasis. He is the eponym of the Naqshbandi Order which exists down to the present day. His mausoleum complex, seven miles east-northeast of Bukhara, is one of the most popular pilgrimages sites in Uzbekistan and is visited by Naqshbandis, other pilgrims, and tourists from all over the world. 

Entrance to the Baqshbandi Mausoleum Complex . . . For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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Uzbekistan | Bukhara Oasis | Khwajagan | #6 Kulal

Sayyid Amir Kulal (d.1370) was the sixth of the Seven Khwajagan of the Bukhara Oasis. Sayyid Amir Kulal’s mausoleum complex is located eight miles east of Bukhara.

Entrance to the mausoleum complex of Sayyid Amir Kulal . . . For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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Uzbekistan | Bukhara Oasis | Khwajagan | #5 Samasi

I spent most of the morning tramping around the ruins of Varakhsha, the ancient city on the western edge of the Bukhara Oasis which once served as the seat of the kings of the region. Leaden skies loomed overhead and gusting winds swept snow flurries through the ruined walls and battlements. In the first millennium the city was well within the boundaries of the Bukhara Oasis; now it is on the very edge, with desert stretching off the west. 

Ruins of Varakhsha (click on photos for enlargements)

Shortly after noon we left for the mausoleum of Muhammad Baba as-Samasi. My driver had been to the mausoleum before, but he had gone there directly from Bukhara. He was not quite sure how to get there from the ruins of Varakhsha. We drove north a few miles and found ourselves in the desert.  At a  crossroads we stopped to ask directions from a man passing by on a tractor.

Desert at the first crossroads

The wind had picked up, blowing fresh snow flurries almost vertically across the sand. Following the tractor driver’s directions we soon found ourselves amidst the barren and fallow fields on the cultivated edge of the oasis. We came to crossroads with no idea which way to go. We drove on a couple of miles before encountering a car coming the other way. The driver informed us we were going the wrong way. We had to go back to the crossroads and turn right. We followed the road to the right a couple of miles and came to another crossroad. The last man we talked to had not mentioned this crossroad. We turned right and drove four or five miles until we came to small house set back off the road. We stopped and the driver went to the door to ask for directions. We had taken a wrong turn at the last crossroads. We returned and turned right again. We must have gone through eight or nine crossroads before we finally found ourselves in the parking lot of Muhammad Baba as-Samasi mausoleum. It had taken us an hour and a half to get here, although I later discovered the mausoleum is only eight miles from Varakhsha. 

Western edge of Bukhara Oasis showing Varakhsha and the Mausoleum of Samasi 

My driver, who was wearing only a sports coat, and I hurried through what seemed like gale-force winds from the parking lot to the entrance portal.

Portal of the Samasi Mausoleum. For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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Uzbekistan | Bukhara Oasis | Khwajagan | #4 Ramatani

Ali ar-Ramitani (d.1315/1321?) is the fourth of the Seven Khwajagan of the Bukhara Oasis. He was a disciple of Mahmud al-Injir al-Faghnawi. Ramatani’s Mausoleum is located twelve miles northwest of Bukhara.

Entrance to the ar-Ramatani Mausoleum Complex . . . For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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Uzbekistan | Bukhara Oasis | Khwajagan | #3 Faghnawi

The third of the Seven Khwajagan of the Bukhara Oasis was Mahmud al-Injir al-Faghnawi (1227–1317). He was the disciple of Arif ar-Riwakri. His mausoleum, in a small village twenty-one miles north of Bukhara, is now a popular pilgrimage site. 

Entrance to the al-Faghnawi Complex . . . For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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Uzbekistan | Bukhara Oasis | Khwajagan | #2 Riwakri

The second of the Seven Khwajagan of the Bukhara Oasis was Arif-Riwakri (d. 1239). He was one of the four main students of Ghujdawani and the direct inheritor of his teachings. He was now buried in the village of Safirkon (apparently at one time known as Riwarkar), twenty-five miles north of Bukhara. 

Mosque at the burial site of Riwakri . . . For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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Uzbekistan | Bukhara Oasis | Khwajagan | #1 Ghujdawani

The so-called Naqshbandi Golden Chain has been known by various names. From the time of Abu Bakr (573 A.D.–634 A.D), a companion and father-in-law of Muhammad and the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death, to the time of Bayazid al-Bistami (804-c.874) it was known as as-Siddiquyya. From the time of Bayazid al-Bistami down to the time of Abu Yaqub Yusuf al-Hamadani (c.1048-1141) it was known as at-Tayfuriyya. The next seven shayks (i.e, elders, or leaders) of the Golden Chain, starting with Abd al-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani down to Shah Naqshbandi were known as the Khwajaganiyya, often rendered simply the Khwajagan, or in English “The Masters of Wisdom”. From the time of Shah Naqshbandi down to the present day it has been known as the Naqshbandiyya, or simply the Naqshbandi.

It is the Seven Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom, all of whom were born in the Bukhara conurbation, who concern us here. These are:

1. Al-Ghujdawani (d.1179)
2. Arif ar-Riwakri (d.1219)
3. Mahmud al-Injir al-Faghnawi (d. 1315)
4. Ali ar-Ramitani (d.1315/1321)
5. Muhammad Baba as-Samasi (d.1354)
6. Sayyid Amir Kulal (d.1370)
7. Muhammad Bahauddin Shah Naqshbandi (1318–1389)

The Bukhara Khwajagan were buried in the Bukhara Oasis and today their tombs are pilgrimage sites. Ghujdawani was born and buried in the city of Ghujdawan, twenty-seven miles northeast of Bukhara. 

 Tomb of Ghujdawani with the Ulugh Beg Madrassa behind . . . For more see Seven Saints of Bukhara: The Khwajagan, or Masters of Wisdom.

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