Nestled within the Fan Mountains lies one of the most enigmatic sacred sites in Tajikistan. Here, at the Makhshevat Cave, situated over 3,000 meters above sea level, the remains of a mummified body are found seated upright. This mummy, partially buried in the earth, is believed to date back anywhere from seven to thirteen centuries. Its face is oriented towards the Kaaba—the revered Islamic sanctuary located in the courtyard of the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca. Preserved skin remains on the back and the nape of the neck, and even remnants of short, reddish hair can be seen. This individual is known by various names—Khoja Ishok, Khoja Ishok Vali, and Khoja Ishok Khuttalani (Khatloni)—and is venerated as a saint.
Mazar (the tombs of saints) in Central Asia are significant pilgrimage sites for Muslims, who visit in hopes of healing from ailments. However, the Mazar of Khoja Ishok (Khoja Ishok Vali) is not a grave in the traditional sense. The unburied mummified remains of the saint are seated on an earthen mound, half-embedded in clay, which is why this site is also referred to as the Cave of the Sitting Skeleton.
The mummified remains, revered as the body of Saint Khoja Ishok Vali, are located in the entrance area of the cave, approximately five meters from the entrance, beside a wall and slightly away from a natural window in the ceiling. Before the mummy lies a small flat area from which paths descend on either side—into the depths of the cave and toward the exit.
These remains exist in an aerated zone. A flow of air once desiccated the corpse, while other bodies deeper within the cave have decayed and disintegrated. The mummy is positioned vertically, embedded up to the waist in earthy deposits, and is surrounded by a semicircle of stones. The right side and face of the mummy, which face the exit, are significantly deteriorated by time, revealing the skeleton beneath. The skin on the back and nape is preserved, along with visible short, reddish hair. The right arm is bent at the elbow and nearly detached from the shoulder. The body faces south, with the head turned towards the west-southwest.
Local legend claims that Khoja Ishok was first discovered by a resident named Mulla Kurbon. While hunting in the upper reaches of a gorge, he wounded a goat, which fled down the cliff and suddenly vanished. Following the animal, the hunter stumbled upon the mummy. This event is said to have occurred in the early 19th century.
However, Khoja Ishok gained widespread recognition following the Russian military reconnaissance expedition of 1870, led by Major General A.K. Abramov, commander of the Zeravshan Military District. The expedition included a number of scholars, with the renowned Russian orientalist Alexander Ludwigovich Kun heading the scientific group. In the wake of this expedition, many scholars from various fields, as well as ordinary citizens, visited the Makhshevat Cave.
In 1962, Professor Akhror Mukhtarov visited the Ayni District to study the history of mazars and was gifted a manuscript by a local resident named Kudratov. This manuscript, authored by an unknown writer in the early 20th century, was titled “Manoqibi Khoja Ishok” (“Life of Khoja Ishok”). The book purportedly recounts that in the 8th century, Khoja Ishok, along with his friends and followers, was traveling from the Iranian city of Hamadan to Samarkand. They were pursued by the forces of the notoriously brutal Arab commander Hajjaj. Miraculously, Khoja Ishok and his companions escaped their pursuers and eventually found refuge near the inaccessible cave located in the Fan Mountains.
Another legend suggests that Khoja Ishok was the first Muslim in this part of the Zeravshan Valley. He arrived in the early 8th century with his entourage from Arabia to bring the light of true faith to the mountainous regions of Zeravshan. However, along the way, Khoja Ishok encountered armed resistance from a militia led by a local resident, Nazirak Mastchoi (from the Matchin region). To escape his enemies, Khoja Ishok and the remnants of his group took refuge in the cave’s most secluded area. When Nazirak ascended to the cave to investigate whether any outsiders were hiding there, he encountered Khoja Ishok. They engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Divine mercy was on Khoja Ishok’s side, and he hurled Nazirak down the mountain. The enemy fell several kilometers down the gorge and, upon striking a rock, left an imprint on it. Khoja Ishok, wounded and exhausted, uttered his last words
and turned his face towards the Kaaba, passing away in a seated position with crossed legs.
Dr. Hamza Kamol, a historian, notes that there are no references in written sources to a Muslim commander named Khoja Ishok who was pursued by Hajjaj and subsequently met a martyr’s death. He believes the most plausible identification of Khoja Ishok is with Khoja Ishok Khuttalani (Ishok al-Khutalani), the then-leader of the Kubraviya Sufi order. Khuttalani led a rebellion against the rule of Shah Rukh, the fourth son of Amir Timur, who governed the Timurid state and ruled Khorasan from 1397. After his father’s death in 1405, Shah Rukh became the independent ruler of the region, reigning for 43 years. The aim of the rebellion was to establish a Sufi state in the area. By that time, Khoja Ishok had at least two prominent disciples: Sayyid Muhammad Nurbaksh and Sayyid Abdullah Barzishabadi Mashhadi.
“Khoja Ishok recognized in Muhammad Nurbaksh qualities that could serve as a solid foundation for realizing his dream of creating a Sufi state. To mobilize the Sufis and the masses, and to topple the Timurid state, Khoja Ishok permitted Nurbaksh to declare himself the Messiah Mahdi (the last successor of the Prophet Muhammad). Nurbaksh believed that his supporters were not yet ready to fight against Shah Rukh’s forces. However, Khoja Ishok, succumbing to emotion, hastily initiated the struggle. As a result, the rebellion led by Nurbaksh in 1422-23 was suppressed almost immediately. A large group of Sufis abandoned the rebels and joined Abdullah Mashhadi—Nurbaksh’s rival. The news that Khoja Ishok had declared one of the Sayyids a Messiah reached Shah Rukh. The ruler dispatched an army against the rebellious Sufis. A battle ensued in which two sons of Khoja Ishok and eighty Sufis perished, while Muhammad Nurbaksh was captured and imprisoned. Following the defeat of the rebellion, Khoja Ishok was sentenced to death,” recounts Hamza Kamol.
The scholar further clarifies that, according to some sources, Khoja Ishok was either fatally wounded or severely injured during the rebellion. The exact location of his death and burial is not specified in the historical records.
“It can be presumed that Khoja Ishok was gravely injured in the mountains of Khatlon during the battle between Nurbaksh’s rebels and Shah Rukh’s army,” continues Kamol. “It is evident that the devoted followers of Khoja Ishok would not have surrendered him to Shah Rukh’s soldiers, either alive or dead. It is likely that, fearing persecution and the humiliation of their mentor, his disciples secretly transported him to this secluded spot—possibly already gravely wounded. The cave provided a quiet and secluded refuge, ideal for hiding and caring for their mentor. It is not out of the question that Khoja Ishok passed away in this cave. Over time, circumstances changed: Shah Rukh died, and the authorities gradually began to forget about the rebellion of Nurbaksh’s supporters. Afterward, the surviving disciples likely revealed the secret of Khoja Ishok’s death and transformed his mausoleum-tomb into a place of worship, which it remains to this day.”
Khoja Kamol points out that the mummy in the Makhshevat Cave bears a hole in its right shoulder—likely from an arrow. This further supports the theory that this Khoja Ishok is indeed the same Khoja Ishok Khuttalani who led an armed rebellion against Shah Rukh. Many researchers of Khoja Ishok’s life, including Hamza Kamol and another scholar, Kiyomidin Sattori, believe that this rebellious Sufi was the son-in-law of Mir Sayid Ali Hamadoni, a Persian poet, theologian, and philosopher who was a member of the Kubraviya Sufi order.
Even during Soviet times, representatives of various religions and denominations traveled from all corners of the USSR to the village of Makhshevat to visit the Mazar of Khoja Ishok—a man who dedicated his life to strengthening the Kubraviya order and spreading Sufi teachings. Nevertheless, the number of visitors to the mausoleum remains limited, primarily due to the lack of necessary infrastructure and the inaccessibility of the site itself.
The road to the mausoleum is arduous and, at times, perilous. Initially, it follows a path along a cliff, then ascends steeply to the cave. Not every traveler can conquer such a route.
Local beliefs about the saint’s power are deeply entrenched. It is said that under his influence, the dripping water in the cave turns to ice, which hardens into stone over the course of a year. This stone, known as travertine, is ground into a powder and used as a remedy for various ailments.
Many people believe that the saint’s power prevents them from even reaching the chillakhona (a place for spiritual retreat), let alone the cave itself. As a result, they pile stones in small mounds and make offerings near the sacred site, within his line of sight. In this context, the manifestation of the saint’s power is understood as extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations (i.e., altitude sickness) that pilgrims experience while ascending the mountain.
Those who do muster the courage to climb to the cave often leave small stones in crevices, cracks, and on the ledges of its walls, which are believed to bear the marks of the saint’s hands and feet. These symbolic offerings are accompanied by prayers and requests for health, prosperity, or well-being.
As time passes, the stories of Khoja Ishok evolve, intertwining with the beliefs and practices of new generations. The cave remains a place of pilgrimage, where the faithful seek solace and healing, and where the echoes of history remind us of the profound connections between the past and present.
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