Arystan Bab Mausoleum () is a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

close to the village of Kogam and

Otrar Otrar or Otyrar ( ; ), also called Farab, is a Central Asian ghost town that was a city located along the Silk Road in Kazakhstan. Otrar was an important town in the history of Central Asia, situated on the borders of settled and agricultural civ ...

tobe.

History

According to

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

ordered the construction of a mosque on the site of

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi The Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi () is a mausoleum in the city of Turkistan (city), Turkestan, in southern Kazakhstan. The structure was commissioned in 1389 by Timur, who ruled the area as part of the expansive Timurid Empire, to replace a ...

, but all attempts were futile. Timur was then told in a dream (by Yasawi) that in order to have success, he should first build a mausoleum over the grave of Arystan Bab. The mausoleum dates back to the 14th century and is constructed over Arystan Bab's 12th-century grave, but was reconstructed several times up to the 18th century. In the 18th century the previous mausoleum, which had been destroyed by an earthquake was replaced with a double domed structure supported by two carved wooden columns. Most of the current structure was constructed in the first decade of the 20th century with only the carved wooden pillars, remaining from the original building.

Description

The mausoleum features a large central arch and wide front facade with

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s at the ends and two large domes to the left of the main arch. As well as the two-chambered table-tomb ( gurkhana) of Arystan Bab and three of his students, Hermet-Azyra, Karga-Baba and Lashyn-Baba, a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

and auxiliary quarters and museum are located in the other rooms of the mausoleum. The effect of high

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

levels led to the mosque being demolished and rebuilt in 1971. A

quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

showing

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

is displayed under glass here. The mausoleum is today a place of pilgrimage.

Legendary origin of Arystan Bab / Arslan Baba

His birth and death dates are unknown. Some sources record his name as Baba Arslan, Arslan Baba or Arap Arslan Baba. According to Yasawi s (ie. sagas), being of

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

descent, he was one of the

Companions of the Prophet The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...

and lived for four hundred to seven hundred years. According to two separate narrations, the companions became hungry during a war or at a meeting at Arslan Baba's house. Meanwhile, with the prayer of the prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

Jibril In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

brings a plate of

date Date or dates may refer to: * Date, the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') * Jujube, also known as red date or Chinese date, the fruit of ''Ziziphus jujuba'' Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activi ...

from

heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

. When one of the dates falls to the ground, Jibrîl says that that date is the fate of Ahmad Yasawi (who will be born in the future). Then the prophet asked his companions "who will deliver these dates to Yasawi?". Arslan Baba aspired for the position the prophet puts the date in his mouth. Many centuries later, Arslan Baba finds the orphaned seven-year-old Ahmad in the city of Sayram in

Turkestan Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...

and delivers the date to him. According to some legends, he also puts on the cardigan given by the prophet. He also instructs Yasawi to "a thousand and one

dhikr (; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific ...

" and tells him that he will die soon and orders him to perform the funeral prayer. The

houris In Islam, a houri (; ), or houris or hoor al ayn in plural form, is a maiden woman with beautiful eyes who lives alongside the Muslim faithful in paradise. They are described as the same age as the men in paradise. Since hadith states people ...

come to help Yasawi, cut a silk shroud for Arslan Baba and take him to heaven. Following the last order of Arslan Baba, Yasawi went to

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

and continued to be a

su'luk In early Arabian history, ''su'luk'' (, plural , ''ṣaʿālīk'') was a term that can be translated as brigand, brigand-poet, or vagabond. The sa'alik were mostly individuals who had been forced out of their tribes and who lived on the fringes of s ...

, and a follower of

Yusuf Hamadani Abū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf al-Hammandinā, best simply known as Yusuf Hammandina (born 1048 or 1049 / 440 AH - died 1140 / 535 AH), was a Persian Sufi of the Middle Ages. He was the first of the group of Central Asian Sufi teachers known simply as '' ...

References

{{Authority control Mausoleums in Kazakhstan Buildings and structures in Turkistan Region