The old delta of the Murghab River is not only fertile land which has been intensively farmed using modern agricultural methods since its revitalization by the waters of the Amu Darya. Deep within its soil and beneath, it also preserves hundreds of artificial mounds (depe), countless remains of vanished cities and villages dating back to the Bronze Age. At the same time, this region is renowned for its sacred sites (ovliya), to which, quite literally, the footsteps of generations have never ceased. Among them are places of worship that stand as remarkable examples of medieval architecture, particularly from the Seljuk and Timurid periods – an entirely natural legacy for an ancient metropolis such as Merv.
Looking at the ruins of clay walls and towers standing solitary across the desert plain, it is hard to believe that crowded Asian bazaars once bustled here, and caravans heavily laden with goods filled the dusty Silk Road with the ringing of bells. In the Merv oasis, East and West met and destinies of peoples intertwined, giving rise to a constant exchange not only of goods but also of ideas – philosophies of China and Europe, India and Ancient Rus. Such openness to the world had a beneficial impact on the economy and culture of Merv, which was once one of the most important centers of the Islamic civilization.
As early as the VIII century, Merv became the center of Muslim rule in Khorasan and the place where Abu Muslim, the leader of the mass movement that overthrew the Umayyad dynasty of the Arab Caliphate, proclaimed the Abbasid Caliphate. In the IX–XI centuries, the city continued to develop under the Tahirids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, and Seljuks, who made it the capital of their powerful state in 1118.
It is therefore no surprise that local shrines are usually associated with Islamic warriors, Sufi missionaries or characters of the Quran. The tomb of Khoja Yusuf Hamadani remains the most visited shrine in the region from ancient times to the present day. It is located in the northern suburb of Sultan-kala – the Seljuk-era site of Merv, not far from the powerful walls of Shahriyar Ark, the royal citadel of the Seljuks.
Unlike many saints whose graves – real or attributed – became objects of veneration, much is known about the personality of Khoja Yusuf himself. His full name was Abu Yaqub Yusuf ibn Ayyub al-Hamadani, and he lived during the flourishing of the Great Seljuk Empire. During his long life reaching the age of ninety, five-eight rulers succeeded one another, from Togrul Beg and Alp Arslan to Sultan Sanjar.
Yusuf was born in the province of Hamadan in 1049 – the same year that his great predecessor, Abu Said Abul Khayr, passed away in the small town of Mehne, near present-day Meana in Turkmenistan. Having received an excellent legal education in Baghdad and mastered rationalist philosophy, Yusuf settled in Merv, where he spent most of his life, while also frequently traveling to Herat and Bukhara. Though he travelled widely, including repeated pilgrimages to Mecca, the tireless preacher always returned to Merv, yet died far from it, somewhere along the road. His remains, however, were later brought back here, to his Sufi lodge (khanqah), already famous during his lifetime.
In the early XIII century, the Arab historian Ibn al-Athir wrote that a popular mausoleum stood over Yusuf al-Hamadani’s burial site. In the second half of the XV century, the renowned Sufi poet Jami visited it and noted the growing fame of the shrine. However, the structures visible today are much younger. The small funerary pavilion has undergone numerous reconstructions and restorations, the most recent of which took place quite recently. One of its most unusual elements has been preserved. It is a structure extending from its northern arch, resembling a long tongue, crowned with a miniature minaret. The tomb itself is now draped in a green velvet covering embroidered with golden Arabic script.
Two structures adjoin the tomb from the north and west. One is a mosque in the form of a monumental portal with a mihrab. There are two-tiered niche-loggias on either side with small cells lying behind. The facing is made of carefully polished baked brick, but there is no trace of the colorful glazed tiles so common in that period. This simplicity suggests that Merv had already become a provincial town with limited resources by the time the mosque was built.
It is difficult to determine exactly when this mosque was constructed. Judging by its architectural features, materials and style, it dates to the XVI century. Yet this period in Merv’s history was marked by turmoil following the collapse of the Timurid state. Constant wars and raids plagued the city until 1600, when the Persian Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty incorporated it into his domains, bringing relative stability throughout the XVII century. Therefore, the commemorative mosque forming the backdrop to the sacred tomb likely dates to the late XV century, when the Timurids still ruled.
A small freestanding minaret has recently been built nearby. Previously, the entire religious complex was enclosed by a mud-brick wall on the southeastern side, but today the area has expanded significantly. In recent years, there have been erected two-story buildings for a local religious organization and a covered space for large memorial gatherings, along with service facilities. A large parking area and a nearly urban level of infrastructure paved with concrete tiles and asphalt clearly demonstrate the site’s popularity today.
What explains the enduring fame of Yusuf al-Hamadani even nine centuries after his death? Turkmens call him Khoja Yusuf Baba, a name that captures his essence, as “baba” in the Turkmen language signifies not only a legendary ancestor but also a maternal grandfather in a narrower sense. More broadly, it is an ancient Turkic term denoting a missionary or popular preacher which Yusuf of Hamadan indeed was. According to tradition, he converted eight thousand pagans to Islam. As noted by the 19th century orientalist Valentin Zhukovsky, who visited Merv, “those whom he persuaded to repent of their sins and guided onto the path of truth are beyond number”. Among Yusuf’s students was Khoja Ahmed Yassavi, a central figure of Central Asian Sufism who eventually surpassed his teacher in fame. Both played a crucial role in introducing Islamic ideology among Turkic-speaking pastoralists and farmers.
Adjoining the southern part of Seljuk Merv is an extensive cemetery that remains in use today. It has expanded within the XII century fortification walls over the remains of residential and artisanal quarters from the time of Sultan Sanjar. At its center, there is a complex consisting of two domed funerary kiosks and vaulted iwans, forming a monumental backdrop to revered tombs – those of two companions of the Prophet Muhammad who died and were buried here in the VII century. Their names are preserved on marble tomb slabs believed to be built in the XV century.
The inscription on the slab on the right indicates that Abu Abdallah Burayda ibn Husayb al Aslami, who died in 682, is buried beneath it. He is a well-known figure in the early history of Islam. His encounter with the Prophet dates back to the period of Muhammad’s migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina. Initially, Burayda was among those who sought the Prophet for a reward, intending to hand him over to his enemies. However, after finding him and speaking with him, he underwent a profound change of heart and, together with his seventy riders, embraced Islam. Thereafter, they continued the journey alongside Muhammad and served as his protectors. Burayda is also said to have remarked that the Prophet’s entry into Medina without a banner would be improper. He therefore removed his headcloth, fastened it to a spear, and became his standard-bearer. During the period of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, Burayda continued to participate in military campaigns, reaching as far as Khorasan. He died in Merv during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I ibn Muawiya.
The inscription on the slab on the left indicates that it was erected above the grave of al Hakam ibn Amr al Ghifari, also known as one of the Prophet’s standard bearers.
Judging by many architectural features, domed kiosks were erected over the burials of these two companions of the Prophet in the X–XI centuries and later reconstructed by the Timurids in the XV century. Their present condition is the result of repairs carried out in 1914. Although somewhat altered, they largely reproduce the original forms. Today, elements of the original facing have survived only in the interiors of the structures. It appears that the marble tombstones, executed in the finest traditions of Timurid stone carving, were installed at the same time. It is therefore not by chance that the southern city gate of Sultan kala, located near the mausoleum, was known as the Alamberdar (Standard Bearer) Gate. Adjoining the tomb complex is a XV century sardoba – a deep reservoir with a subterranean domed chamber. Its portal entrance is decorated with later stucco relief ornamentation featuring vegetal motifs. The reservoir is also included in the pilgrimage route.
Outside the walls of Sultan-kala, near the Firuz Gate, there is another shrine known today as the burial place of Ahmed Zamchi. According to legend, he was a skilled slingshot fighter from the city of Zamji, a devout Muslim who fought on the side of Abu Muslim in the VIII century. A nearby grave is traditionally associated with another companion of the Abbasid leader – Mizrab-shah from Khorezm, who, together with Ahmed Zamchi, appears as a character in the popular medieval tale “Abu Muslim-nameh” dating to the XI–XIII centuries. This tale was extremely popular in Iran, Turkey, and especially in Central Asia, where one of its episodes became an independent work known as “Zamchi-nameh.”
On the territory of the medieval suburb of Merv, nearly one kilometer west of the walls of Sultan-kala, on the right bank of the main canal – known in the Middle Ages as Khurmuzfarra – there is a relatively well-preserved monument of Seljuk architecture, forming the core of a small complex. It includes a sardoba with an arched portal that has been recently restored, the ruins of a medieval residential house, and a massive structure of eroded mud brick nearby, once a fortified residential castle (the oldest building within the complex). Even today, the entire area is surrounded by dense thickets of saxaul, creating a distinctive atmosphere. The branches of a large, dried tree are adorned with colorful strips of cloth – left there by pilgrims making wishes. The symbolic mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Zayd, a great-great-grandson of the righteous Caliph Ali, connected to a memorial mosque, is the main structure of this shrine. The monument has reached our days in a significantly altered condition, and only fragments of the original XII century walls remain in the interior – a typical example of the refined brick ornamentation of the Seljuk period.
Another remarkable example of this architectural style in the Merv oasis is known as Khudaynazar-ovliya. This semi-ruined clay structure, with traces of rich brick ornamentation on its main facade, is located on a medieval cemetery near the site of Suli-depe (the medieval settlement of Shawwal), about 18 kilometers north of Sultan-kala. Hidden among saxaul thickets, this place is by no means forgotten: pilgrims continue to visit it, even though nothing is known about the figure whose name the monument bears.
The cult of saints today is far from being a relic of the past, as it was once portrayed in the atheistic literature of the previous century. Rather, it represents an important form of spiritual life for modern people who, regardless of their level of education, consider themselves Muslims, yet see no contradiction between belief in one God and reverence for a whole host of saints. They are drawn to these sacred corners of their native land to meet the spirits of their ancestors, addressing to them their most heartfelt prayers. And, as experience shows, this place of encounter – consecrated by the devotion of many generations – cannot be changed.