KHAZRET KHIZR MOSQUE OR TRAVELLERS' MOSQUE
Go there and contact
The unusual and asymmetrical appearance of this mosque perched on the hill of Afrosyab immediately catches the eye. The colonnaded iwan and the domed entrance date from 1854. In 1919, the architect Abdukadir Bini Baki added a portal and the minaret. This mosque, dedicated to Elijah, the patron saint of travellers and groundwater, was built on the site of another mosque, itself built on the site of one of the oldest holy places in the city in pre-Islamic times. It was near this site that the running water canal of the ancient city of Afrosyab passed, and it is known that the Zoroastrian priests were responsible for irrigation and all matters relating to water, one of the sacred elements of the ancient religion. From the iwan, there is a breathtaking view of the Shah-i-Zinda.
When you reach the mosque via the viaduct, recently built above the road to connect it to the bazaar, you can also visit the tomb of Islam Karimov. The former Uzbek president was buried in his hometown, a stone's throw from the Travellers' Mosque, and lies in a small pavilion with many basil plants, which are supposed to accompany the souls of the dead to the afterlife. It is a place of meditation for many Uzbeks and the tourist guides are full of praise, even if many more people think that the country is doing very well without its former dictator..
