Samarkand is the land of the greatest scholars

The next online seminar was held at the Imam Bukhari Scientific International Research Center in cooperation with the Islamic History, Art and Culture Research Center (IRCICA) within the framework of the scientific project “Central Asia – the center of Islamic culture and art”. The Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan, the National Archives of Uzbekistan, Imam Termizi International Research Center, scientists of the Turan Academy, professors and students of higher educational institutions in Samarkand and Bukhara, scientific staff of the Center, representatives of IRCICA and Turkey and Researchers from Germany participated.

At the seminar, Komilkhan Kattayev, a senior researcher at the Makhdumi Azam Dahbedi Research Foundation of Samarkand region, a senior researcher at Samarkand University, gave a lecture on the topic of “Hanafism’s Samarkand Chairmanships and Reporting Shrines”.
The scientist first touched on the history of Samarkand and shared scientific information from many historical sources. Speaking about the scholars of Samarkand, he mentioned the names of the great imams and scholars who were buried in the Chokardiza cemetery, famous in the city. According to him, no cemetery can compare to Chokardiza except for Baqiya in Madinah and Muallo in Makkah. Imam Moturidi of the Hanafi sect, his teacher Imam Sammasi, Imam Abul Qasim Hakim, Imam Abu Lays, Imam Abu Mu’in Nasafi, Imam Najmiddin Umar Nasafi, Imam Kundi, Imam Marginani, Imam Yozdah are buried here.

According to sources, the territory of the cemetery was the garden of Imam Sammosi, one of the great imams of Samarkand. The fact that Imam Moturidi, who lived 60-70 years before him and was buried on the hill in the center of his garden, bequeathed to be buried at the feet of Sammosi, shows how great a person this person was. The first garden, where its owner was buried, was formed as a cemetery of scholars at the end of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century.
As it was noted, only in the land of Samarkand itself, so many alloma took place that this situation was not observed in other countries. So far, the graves of 25 of the world’s greatest scholars have been identified on this land. It is certain that the number of complaints will increase in the future. The members of the nobles were scholars of jurisprudence, hadith, kalam, and the rest were representatives of Sufism and statesmen.

The speaker gave information about the lives and works of Imam Bukhari, Imam Dorimi, Imam Shamsulaimma Halvoyi, and Imam Ali Sogdi, the head of the Samarkand Hanafi madhhab, as well as Abul Hasan Rastughfani, Imam Ali Pazdavi, and Ishtikhan scholars. The scientist also paid special attention to the researches on finding and studying the tombs and tombstones of the greatest imams and scholars, as well as the works on the improvement of their shrines.

The seminar continued with intense questions and answers.