The light of the steppe beacons

For nomads living north of the Syrdarya, the gleaming blue domes of the Khodja Ahmed Yassavi mausoleum in Turkestan city have always served as a beacon whose light allowed travelers to roam without fear of getting lost. Nomads had little fear of getting lost in their native steppe, vast though it was, but many, including the most distinguished Turkic thinkers of the time, were deeply anxious about losing their national identity at a time when the Arabic language and way of life dominated.

The Sufi Khodja Ahmed Yassavi is knowr today in most Muslim countries by the title (often used instead of his name) of "Hazret Sultan" or "Sultan of all saints". He became a beacon, whose light drev. people in from all over the vast steppe Nowadays we know about him frorr numerous folk legends and his "Book of Wisdom" ("Divan-i-Khikmet"), written ir Chagatai, a Turkic language.
He revived in his nation an awareness of the uniqueness and unity of the Turkic ethnos, with its own culture and rich history; he also brought to the steppe a softer, more tolerant version of Islam which has prevailed in Central Asia to the present day. It does not allow religious wars or "witch-hunts". Indeed Sufism, whicr Ahmed advocated, claimed that sharie was an elementary school of spirituality and that true wisdom was achievable only through long years of study. Only through learning could one aspire to find the truth
Ahmed believed that it was undesirable fo-a man to live in the sunlight longer thar the Prophet, so when he reached 63 he voluntarily sentenced himself to life in a cave. His underground cell (khilvet) became a site of pilgrimage when he was still alive and crowds of people visited the holy elder, hoping for wise advice on attaining happiness in this life and peace in the afterlife. When Ahmed died, a small shrine was built close to the khilvet; it was over twc hundred years later that Tamerlane orderec the construction of the famous mausoleurr which still stands today on the same spot.

There are many legends surrounding both the life of Ahmed and the construction of the mausoleum in his honor. According to one, during the initial stage of construction, builders experienced persistent problems. First there was bad weather, then the oxen ran amok and broke the supports. Progress could not have been worse. Tamerlane was very distressed by this until one night he dreamt that an old man appeared to him and said that it was no good building a mausoleum in honor of Ahmed without paying tribute to his teacher - holy Aristan-Bab. So not far from Otrar, Tamerlane began building the mausoleum of Aristan-Bab, and from then on the problems ceased. The mausoleum of Aristan-Bab is still a must-see for pilgrims who should visit it first and only after that pay tribute to Khodja Ahmed Yassavi.
Sadly the mausoleum of Yassavi was never completed as can be seen from the design of the portal and some inner areas. Different reasons are given. According to the official version, construction works terminated with the death of Tamerlane, who was the driving force behind all large-scale projects in his empire. Some believe that construction works slowed down even before his death, and later came to a complete halt due to the transfer of many foremen and workers to Samarkand to build the main mosque there. But there are more romantic versions as to why the mausoleum remain ed incomplete.
The most notable of these relates to Sholpan - the eldest and most beloved wife of Tamerlane. She is believed to have been the chief supervisor of the construction of the mausoleum.

It is alleged that the chief architect of the: "construction of the century" fell in love witf-Sholpan (with very little hope of reciprocatior The wise woman soon realized what was going on and, sensing that his amorous (arc hopeless) state might adversely affect the work, she decided to redirect the thoughts and desires of her admirer. She organizec a small performance; taking two eggs she painted one with a golden pattern anc smeared the other in black paint, then askec the architect which he preferred. He indicatec the golden egg, whereupon Sholpan askec him to shell the eggs and taste them. She then posed her question once again. The man answered that the taste of both eggs was exactly the same. Sholpan explainec that women too were different in appearance and apparel, but were identical in substance In other words, she wanted him to realize that there were many other women in the world besides her and he did not have to suffer unrequited love. However, her trick had exactly the opposite effect. Legenc has it that the architect disappeared on the following day, leaving Sholpan perplexed, and the site without its chief architect; and they never got round to finding a new one...
The architect ran away, Tamerlane died.. Centuries, epochs, civilizations pass and alternate ... But the mausoleum still stands at the southern boundary of the Great Steppe; and people still have memories of great Ahmed, who became a holy man while alive and a legend after his death.