The underground temple of Korakhana

The underground temple of Korakhana, located near the industrial city of Almalyk in the Tashkent region, remains one of the unresolved mysteries in the history of Uzbekistan. Hidden among the arid foothills of the Kuramin Range, it was first scientifically described in 1934 by the renowned Soviet archaeologist, Academician Mikhail Masson. Scholars believe that this unusual site could have served as a pagan sanctuary, a medieval ruler’s fortress, and a Muslim mosque during different historical periods. A gently sloping earthen mound, 22 meters high and barely distinguishable from the surrounding steppe hills, conceals within it a labyrinth of halls and passages covering an area of 60 by 48 meters. The labyrinth spans two levels, connected by narrow crawlways with clay steps. The dome of the central hall, now sagging with time, was once supported by wooden beams. Radiating from it are galleries with deep niches resembling monastic cells. Few material artifacts have been found here, leaving archaeologists and historians divided over the original purpose of these chambers. However, they have proposed several intriguing hypotheses.

Academician Masson suggested that the underground cells of Korakhana, located far from populated areas, could have served as a secret refuge for members of sects and cults banned by Islam. Among these were the followers of the Iranian preacher Mani. Manichaeism, which emerged among Christian Gnostics in Mesopotamia in the first millennium CE, spread from Western Europe to the Gobi Desert by the early Middle Ages. It even briefly became the state religion of the Uyghur Khaganate.

Manichaean views on the creation and structure of the world differed significantly from those of major religions, though they borrowed much from them. For this reason, Manichaeans were brutally persecuted by the Christian Inquisition and secular authorities in medieval Europe. In Central Asia, which fell under Muslim caliphate rule in the 8th century, they were considered heretics and subjected to public executions. Their teachings held that the soul, created by God, must purify itself from temptations, delusions, and sin. Alongside traditional Eastern asceticism, Manichaeans were also accused of unconventional behaviors and methods that no religion of the time could approve, except perhaps Tantrism. For instance, they were said to indulge in gluttony, drunkenness, and sexual excesses to cultivate disgust for the physical world.

It is possible that such practices were merely attributed to Manichaeans by orthodox clergy to incite public revulsion. However, Russian historian Lev Gumilev argued that the Uyghur Khaganate’s adoption of Manichaeism as a state religion was not coincidental and provoked the relentless hatred of neighboring states, including Confucian China and Turkic and Mongol tribes practicing shamanism and Nestorian Christianity. Ultimately, the Khaganate, weakened by internal moral decay and the collapse of traditional values, was destroyed by its neighbors. In Muslim countries, Manichaeans, called Zindiqs, could practice their faith only in deepest secrecy, fearing the “Muslim Inquisition” established against them in the 8th century by Caliph al-Mahdi of the Abbasid dynasty.

In 1992, archaeologist Oleg Rostovtsev from Almalyk discovered new artifacts in Korakhana, dating back to the mid-first millennium CE. He believed that a Zoroastrian temple once stood here, later replaced by the summer residence of the rulers of Ilak—a Turkic state closely tied to the ancient oasis of Chach (Tashkent). The capital of Ilak, called Tunket, was discovered by archaeologists six kilometers north of Korakhana, near the modern village of Sardzhaylak. In Ilak, which literally means “land of pastures,” numerous settlements thrived from the 4th to the 12th centuries, long before the Mongol invasions. Iron ore was mined, metals were smelted, trade flourished along caravan routes, and coins were minted. To this day, residents of some mountainous areas in the Tashkent region and Fergana Valley call themselves Ilats. Rostovtsev argued that in such a densely populated and developed region, secret refuges for banned sects were unlikely.

Korakhana’s ambiguous reputation may have emerged later. The rulers of Ilak moved their summer residence from swampy lowlands to healthier, cooler locations. However, after the Mongol invasion, their castle could have fallen into ruin. Built from pakhsa—unbaked clay blocks—the castle’s contours eroded over time, just as the Zoroastrian temple beneath it vanished without a trace. Yet, within the resulting mound, sheltered from rain and wind, a habitable underground space remained. Here, dervishes—the wandering monks of the Muslim Middle Ages—found refuge. Orthodox Islam, which disapproves of extreme asceticism and withdrawal from the world, has historically viewed Sufi mystics with suspicion, occasionally labeling some as heretics. Nevertheless, in Turkic languages, the name Korakhana would be interpreted more positively. It does not signify a “black” castle, shrouded in grim legends, but rather suggests something grand, strong, and wealthy—at least in memory of the power and glory of its former owners, the rulers of Ilak. Later, the ambiguous reputation of this ancient sanctuary was entirely rehabilitated through the efforts of Muslim ascetics.