MAUSOLEUM OF THE PROPHET DANIEL
On the edge of the Afrosyab cliff, overlooking the Syab River, stands a long, five-domed edifice. It is the mausoleum of the prophet Daniel. It was abandoned for a very long time. In 1996, Patriarch Alexis, who was visiting Uzbekistan, came to pay his respects here. This pilgrimage site attracts pilgrims from all three monotheistic faiths: Muslim, Christian and Jewish. It is said that the spirit of Daniel protects against all evils and brings well-being.
Built in the early 14th century by Tamerlane, who brought back the bones from his campaign in Asia Minor. Eugène Schuyller, in 1873, although making no mention of the mausoleum, reported that hermits had lived in caves cut into the Afrosyab cliff. This is undoubtedly one of the caves that can be seen right next to the mausoleum and which was used as a millikhana.
The tomb measures no less than 18 m in length! It is said that the saint's bones continue to grow by a few centimetres each year... Take off your shoes as you enter. The floor is covered with carpets (kourpachas). Visitors walk three times around the tomb, which is covered in green velvet and decorated with gold-thread embroidery. At the foot of the steps, near the river, a small domed building houses a holy water spring. Here, believers perform their ablutions and quench their thirst. When not on pilgrimage, this is a very calm and soothing place to stop for a few moments on the way back from a visit to Afrosyab.
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