Zeravshan Okrug. Tomb of Saint Makhmud Azam in the Village of Dakhbit

1865
This photograph of the grave shrine (mazar) of Hodja Mahmud Azam in the village of Dakhbit (Uzbekistan) is from the archeological part of Turkestan Album. The six-volume photographic survey was produced in 1871-72 under the patronage of General Konstantin P. von Kaufman, the first governor-general (1867-82) of Turkestan, as the Russian Empire’s Central Asian territories were called. Dakhbit was located in Zeravshan District (okrug), formed as part of the Russian Empire in 1868 when Russian troops occupied the eastern part of the Khanate of Bukhara (present-day Uzbekistan). By the end of 1868, the area around the town of Pendzhikent (present-day Panjakent, in northwest Tajikistan) was added to the district. By 1871 the district had absorbed fiefdoms in the upper reaches of the Zeravshan River, a tributary of the Amu Darya. “Dakhbit” is considered a Tajik toponym in an area inhabited by both Uzbek and Tajik peoples. The creation of shrines at the graves of revered religious figures was a widespread practice in Central Asia. In some cases the shrine could be an imposing mausoleum (mazar) or a pilgrimage center (khanaka). Here the shrine is more modest and consists of the central tomb, a retaining wall, and other graves. The large poplar tree in the foreground contains stork nests.

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Filename: 3893.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 2253x1800 / 708.9KB; 1865 Uzbekistan Zeravshan Okrug Tombs Saint Makhmud Azam Villages Dakhbit Archaeological Sites Islamic Architecture Sepulchral Monuments Photo WDL 010350
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1865<br />
This photograph of the grave shrine (mazar) of Hodja Mahmud Azam in the village of Dakhbit (Uzbekistan) is from the archeological part of Turkestan Album. The six-volume photographic survey was produced in 1871-72 under the patronage of General Konstantin P. von Kaufman, the first governor-general (1867-82) of Turkestan, as the Russian Empire’s Central Asian territories were called. Dakhbit was located in Zeravshan District (okrug), formed as part of the Russian Empire in 1868 when Russian troops occupied the eastern part of the Khanate of Bukhara (present-day Uzbekistan). By the end of 1868, the area around the town of Pendzhikent (present-day Panjakent, in northwest Tajikistan) was added to the district. By 1871 the district had absorbed fiefdoms in the upper reaches of the Zeravshan River, a tributary of the Amu Darya. “Dakhbit” is considered a Tajik toponym in an area inhabited by both Uzbek and Tajik peoples. The creation of shrines at the graves of revered religious figures was a widespread practice in Central Asia. In some cases the shrine could be an imposing mausoleum (mazar) or a pilgrimage center (khanaka). Here the shrine is more modest and consists of the central tomb, a retaining wall, and other graves. The large poplar tree in the foreground contains stork nests.