Sheikh Khudoydod Vali Shrine

Hilltop shrine by the village of Gazira in Jomboy District, burial place of Sheikh Khudoydod Vali (1461–1532), a Yasawi Sufi master, poet and celebrated kurash wrestler.

Sheikh, poet and wrestler

Sheikh Khudoydod Vali was born in Karmana in 1461 and studied at the Javzoniya madrasa in Samarkand; according to the book Lamahot, he later taught at the Ulugh Beg Madrasa. He followed the jahriya branch of the Yasawi order, known for its vocal remembrance of God, wrote ghazals and trained more than fifty disciples.

Legend has it he was also a formidable wrestler: after defeating every opponent at an emir's festival, he asked not for a prize but for the people of Karnab to be freed from a cruel governor. He refused gifts from rulers and lived simply, yet sources say Shaybanid khans such as Muhammad Shaybani and Ubaydullah regarded him as their mentor. He died in Gazira in 1532, and his descendants still live in the village; manuscripts of his works are kept at the Institute of Oriental Studies and in libraries abroad.

The shrine sits on a hill at the eastern edge of the village. It was restored after independence, and in 2011, for the sheikh's 550th anniversary, the gate and buildings were renewed, a domed mausoleum raised over the grave and a garden and spiritual centre added. Pilgrims come from as far as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Europe. Samarkand is about 30 km to the southwest.