In the 1920s, the sheikhs of Shahimardan opposed Soviet authority. In 1929, the revolutionary writer and public figure Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi was killed there. Following this, the sheikhs were persecuted, and the settlement around the holy site was renamed Hamzaabad. The tomb was destroyed in the 1950s, and a memorial complex with Hamza’s grave was built in its place. Despite this, the former burial site of the fourth caliph remained a pilgrimage destination for people from the Fergana Valley and other parts of Central Asia. The area around Shahimardan officially became a resort and recreation zone. In the 1990s, the village’s original name, Shahimardan, was restored.
There are several other places in Central Asia with legendary tombs of Ali. These include the Shokhimardon mazar near Khiva (Khwarezm/Khorezm), the Yigit-pirim mazar («Leader of the Brave» in Turkic-Uzbek) in Sokh (Fergana Valley), and the Shahimardan mazar in the village of Gazgan near Nurata (Uzbekistan). Additionally, there is the «grave» of Ali in Mazar-i-Sharif (modern Northern Afghanistan). In some regions, other less-known sacred places are also referred to as the «graves of Ali.»
Besides the tombs of Ali, there are numerous other mazars in Central Asia, especially in the Fergana Valley, associated with the fourth caliph. A popular legend claims that Hazrat Ali conquered Central Asia, liberated it from «infidels,» and died in battle against them. This legend parallels the myth of Hercules’ feats. In the story, Ali, under the fictitious name Kashamsham, is enslaved in the city of infidels, Shaari Bardar (Barbari). Ali fulfills the local king’s orders, killing a dragon-like serpent (ajdarho) and altering the river’s course. When ordered to capture the hero, Ali reveals his true identity, kills the king, and converts the locals to Islam. Places where Ali supposedly stopped, prayed, or performed feats became «holy.» These mazars are considered «footprint places» (qadam-joy). In some places, they bear marks from Ali’s sword, Zulfiqar (e.g., the Kaskan-tash mazar in the village of Gava, Namangan region). In others, Ali struck the ground with his staff, causing springs (Persian-Tajik: chashma; Turkic-Uzbek: bulak) to emerge and large trees to grow (e.g., the Hauz-i Moron mazar in Ura-Tyube and the Chashma-yi Arzanak mazar in Leninabad region, the Sultan-Wais mazar in the village of Balykly, Namangan region, and the Akhtam-sahoba mazar in Toy-Tyube, Tashkent region). In some places, Ali prayed and left handprints (panja, Persian-Tajik for «five» or «palm»). Such sites are widely known throughout Central Asia, with local residents able to name several mazars where Ali’s presence is felt. Holy places also include the horse tracks of Ali’s steed, Dul-dul (Arabic: Dul-dul), with mazars named after it found in Khorezm, the Fergana Valley, and the Tashkent region.
It is known that Ali ibn Abi Talib never visited Central Asia. Local religious figures offer various explanations for how Ali’s grave could be in Central Asia. One legend says that when Ali died, different groups of his followers claimed his body should be buried with them. When the coffins were opened, each contained Ali’s body, leading to the belief in seven (or, according to another version, eleven) burial sites. Another legend states that Ali’s body was taken by a celestial camel, which then vanished, leaving a sign that Ali’s grave should be at the confluence of two rivers—the «white» (Turkic-Uzbek: ok-suv), formed from melting snow, and the «black» (Turkic-Uzbek: kara-suv), which emerges from underground. One such blessed place was near the Shahimardan mazar. Some locals claim that Ali’s spirit (ruh), not his physical body, resides in the tomb.
In addition to the cult of Ali, the veneration of his close relatives is prevalent in Central Asia. Numerous sites are associated with the name of Fatimah (died in 633 AD), the Prophet’s daughter and Ali’s wife (e.g., a mazar near Shahrisabz). According to tradition, the Prophet gave Fatimah salt as a dowry, so saline springs are considered her waqf and often host her mazars (e.g., near the Oksukon salt lake in the Asht district of Tajikistan). Many holy places are linked to the names of Ali’s sons, Hasan (died in 669 AD) and Husayn (killed in 680 AD) (e.g., mazars near Nurata and Bayram-Ali). Another notable son of Ali, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah (died in 700 AD), is also widely revered (e.g., the Tash-ata mazar in Osh region, mazars near Nurata, Suzak, and Bayram-Ali). Stories of Ali’s battles with his son Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, which ended in various ways, are popular. Mazars associated with Ali’s grandsons and great-grandsons also exist (e.g., the Zayn al-Abidin mazar in Namangan region and Shaartuz, Khatlon region, the Ja’far as-Sadiq mazar near Bayram-Ali, Kulyab region, and Xinjiang). These mazars are often seen as burial sites of Muslim saints, despite none of them having been in Central Asia. The cult of Ali’s groom, Kanbar (maula Kanbar), also known as the patron of horse breeding, is widespread, with mazars in every region (e.g., near Bayram-Ali, in the villages of Poytuk, Andijan region, and Faizabad, Fergana region).
Ali’s popularity in Central Asia results from the influence of various Shiite branches (Kaysanites, Abumuslimites, Ismailis, and others) active in the region during the early medieval period. Shiite Islam, in the form of Ismailism, still prevails in the Pamirs among local people speaking East Iranian languages. Sufism, which assigns a special role to Ali and his descendants as bearers of esoteric knowledge and spiritual sanctity, also played a significant role in promoting Ali’s cult. The veneration of Ali in Central Asia has absorbed many pre-Islamic beliefs of the local populations, possibly superimposing on the worship of a local deity fulfilling the role of a cultural hero, liberator from evil forces, and disseminator of knowledge. Ali’s image closely parallels that of the ancient Iranian hero Rustam.
Many of the «holy» sites now associated with Ali and his relatives’ names originated long before Islam arrived in Central Asia. Their location and veneration indicate that these places once belonged to the nature cult. The Fergana mazar of Shahimardan is situated where the Shahimardan-say river forms, with numerous canals irrigating a large area centered around the ancient Fergana city of Margilan (Margilan). Even today, every spring, before the flood season begins, many nearby villagers come to the mazar to hold sacrificial feasts (khudoyi) and pray for a good harvest.
