ALI MUSOLEE

This is the main site justifying your visit to Shakhimardan, which is a particularly important place for Muslims, since it is one of those where, according to legend, Ali, the Prophet's son-in-law and fourth Caliph of the Muslim world, could be buried. Before his death, Ali, conscious of being loved and respected throughout the umma, the community of believers, asked that seven graves be dug throughout the empire and that seven coffins be prepared and weighted equally, as no one should know in which coffin his body was actually lying. So it was done, and after his assassination, the seven coffins were placed on seven camels which were scattered throughout the Muslim world. Another legend claims that a single camel carried Ali's coffin, but that it multiplied by seven after a few meters, each carrying a few relics of the late Caliph. When the last camel was gone, one of Ali's sons turned to God and asked him, "How will I know which grave to go to to make sure that I am buried in my father's true grave? "And God answered him that the true tomb of Ali would be surrounded by very high mountains with snow-covered peaks, where two rivers of translucent water meet. This description corresponds to Chakhimardan (which takes its name from Ali, Chakhimardan meaning "King of the Brave Men"), but it is part of the legend that changes according to the tomb next to which one is standing. Uzbekistan claims to have hosted two other tombs, one in Khiva and another in Nurat; the others are said to be in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan. For every Muslim, the visit to Ali's tomb, before the great pilgrimage to Mecca, is obligatory. According to the village elders, a first mausoleum was built by the fourth generation of Ali's descendants, towards the end of the 9th century. In fact, no one knows when the original building was erected. It is known, however, that it was destroyed in 1922, along with the 234 stone and fir steps leading up to it. A second mausoleum was built during the Second World War, but on a different model than the first one, as no one was familiar with the techniques necessary for an identical reconstruction. This second mausoleum was again destroyed in 1956 by the Soviets, and replaced by a monument to the dead of the Second World War. In 1991, this monument was moved, and a third mausoleum was erected on the model of the second.