Mausoleum of Al-Hakim al-Termizi

Uzbekistan


Termiz's holiest sight is dedicated to a 9th-century Sufi philosopher, known locally as Al-Hakim, the city’s patron saint. In a triumph for preservationists, the interior’s cheap plaster ghanch-work, spuriously installed as part of the government’s general monument beautification drive, has been removed to expose the original 15th-century brick. The mausoleum gets packed to the gills on Wednesday, when the faithful are served lunch. The Amu-Darya and Afghanistan are just behind the complex walls, but photographing the border is forbidden.

To get out here catch marshrutka 15 heading north on Al-Termizi from Yubileyny Bazaar (800S, 20 minutes), just north of the clock tower, and strike a deal with the driver to continue on to the main gates. There's plenty of transport on Wednesday.


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