Studies of Ancient Iran

Studies of Ancient Iran

Cultural heritage perservation in central Asia

Document Type : Translation

Authors
1 ل
2 Top Manager
Abstract
The fifteenth- to sixteenth–century Sufi mosque of Langar Ota is located in a mountainous region of Uzbekistan,
104 km southwest of Samarkand, historically one of the most important cities of the Silk Road.
Although Sufi shrines, mosques, mausolea, and lodges are known and preserved in urban centers of Central
Asia and the Silk Road such as Bukhara, Samarkand, and Shahrisabz, the Langar Ota mosque is one of the
few rural Sufi mosques in Uzbekistan that has survived mostly intact since the fifteenth century, when it
was built during the reign of the Timurid dynasty as a khanaqah (lodge) by the Ishqiyyah Sufi order. The
mosque housed three important Islamic relics: a collection of very early Qurʾans, the shajjara (geneology)
of the sheikhs (spiritual leaders) of the Ishqiyyah order, and the khirqah (cloak) of the Prophet Muhammad.
Even though these relics are no longer kept in Langar Ota, the mosque and the mausoleum of Sheikh
Muhammad Sadiq are still important centers for pilgrimage. More than 1,000 pilgrims per month visit the
mausoleum and mosque of Langar Ota
Keywords

  • Receive Date 15 November 2024
  • Revise Date 15 December 2024
  • Accept Date 14 January 2025
  • Publish Date 19 February 2025