Burchmulla

According to the first legend, a mullah remained to live on the ruins of the destroyed city, of which only a small village remained. Every day, he prayed for the revival and prosperity of Ardlankent. “Do not thank me, it is my duty!” he would say.

The second legend is longer and more intricate. According to it, the people of Ardlankent were ungodly, mired in all kinds of vices. Allah became angry and sent them various misfortunes: earthquakes, mudflows, epidemics, invasions of nomads… One day, a wandering mullah arrived in the city, and the townspeople turned to him for help. In response, he explained to them where they had gone wrong. From that day on, the townspeople tried their best to change their way of life, and the mullah prayed for them. Eventually, Allah heard him and forgave the townspeople. When they began to thank the mullah, he uttered the phrase that gave the current settlement its name: “Do not thank me, it is my duty.”

Not far from the settlement of Brichmulla lies one of the revered pilgrimage sites—Kadamjobuva (translated from Tajik: kadamjo means “step by step,” and buva means “grandfather” or “saint”).

According to legend, when Idris, the sixth grandson of Adam and a prophet, came to these lands, he felt extremely weary and wished to drink water. Unable to find the life-giving source, the prophet turned to God in prayer—and at that very moment, five springs gushed forth from the fingers of Idris.

Since then, these five springs have flowed from the ground in Kadamjobuva at any time of the year. It is believed that they heal pilgrims of various ailments and grant any wish—one only needs to make a wish, drink the water, and wash their face and hands with it.

Every day, hundreds of people from across the republic visit this holy place. In the cauldrons found in the local kitchen, they prepare their meals and can even spend the night on kurpachas (quilted cotton blankets).

Where did the name Kadamjo or “step by step” come from? If interpreted literally, it refers to a place where the footsteps of our ancestors once tread. In ancient times, the modern Tashkent region and Tashkent itself were called Chach or Shash, and the area where Brichmulla is now located was the city of merchants known as Orlakent, later destroyed by the armies of Genghis Khan. These lands were part of the Great Silk Road, which connected the Middle East to China. Before setting off on their long journeys with caravans, all merchants would visit Kadamjobuva. Pilgrims embarking on the Hajj to Mecca, hunters heading into the mountains in search of game, and even farmers before their work in the fields also came here. After praying, drinking the water, and performing ablutions, they would receive a blessing for their arduous journey or labor.

The holy site of Kadamjobuva covers an area of one hectare; much of it is occupied by an ancient cemetery, which was closed for burials in the 1960s. Both the sacred springs and the mausoleum are located in a dense garden, where, among other things, eight-hundred-year-old plane trees grow. According to local belief, if one embraces one of these trees, it can bestow great physical and spiritual strength upon the traveler.

It is believed that Kadamjobuva, along with neighboring shrines such as Umar Vali, Mergen Ata, Oynak Ata, Kulobmazar, and Kavsar Ata, located in the vicinity of the village of Bogustan, has Sufi roots. The name of the Charvak area, situated at the confluence of the Ugam, Pskem, Koksu, and Chatkal rivers, signifies the hereditary territory of Sufi ishans and sheikhs, where they found followers and disciples.