Mausoleum of Kaldirgach-Biy – Tours to Uzbekistan & Central Asia

The Mausoleum of Kaldirgach-Biy, located in the Shaykhantaur district of Tashkent next to the mausoleum of Sheikh Khavend-Tahur, significantly differs in style from other architectural monuments of that era. Its roof is not rounded but features a pointed conical dome. It is noteworthy that this shape is more characteristic of cult buildings in the steppe and desert regions from Altai to the Caspian Sea, where the culture of Turkic nomads did not experience as strong influences from Arab-Persian traditions, as it did in the south. According to one of the first researchers of the monument, Tashkent archaeologist Galina Pugachenkova, the outer tent-shaped pyramid dome on a high 12-sided drum “seems to imitate the native lands of Tole Bi, the mountain peaks of the Tian Shan and Alatau.”

Another interesting detail concerns the sacred site itself. Uzbek scholars have concluded that the Mausoleum of Kaldirgach-Biy may have been built in the 15th century—three hundred years before the birth of the historical Tole Bi. Earlier burials, whose owners are unknown, were also discovered on its territory. Curious information on this subject was provided by Soviet archaeologist Mikhail Masson. He wrote that in the early 19th century, rumors arose that a certain character buried in the Mausoleum of Kaldirgach-Biy was not a true believer and had been interred with deviations from the accepted ritual. To verify the rumors, one of the city’s rulers, with the help of the guardian Ishankul, once conducted an exhumation at night. Inside, they discovered a dagger adorned with precious stones, which was indeed incompatible with burial rituals in Islam. The find was decided to be left in place, and the ruler strictly forbade the guardian from speaking about what had happened to avoid stirring unrest among the faithful. Later, the guardian mysteriously disappeared. Many years later, during renovation work inside the mausoleum, a man who had once been involved in the exhumation attempted to retrieve the dagger. However, it was no longer there. He reportedly told his son about this before his death.

According to modern historians, regardless of the time of the mausoleum’s construction, the cult of Kaldirgach-Biy as a symbol of the struggle for independence arose in Tashkent during the reign of Haji Muhammad Yunus (or Yunus-Khodja)—from 1784 to 1802. After the liberation from the Dzungar Khanate, a peculiar form of governance resembling European merchant republics of the Middle Ages was established in the city. However, Tashkent was not governed by an assembly of noble citizens but by elected khokims—the heads of four city districts: Shaykhantahur, Kukhcha, Beshagach, and Sebzara. There was a constant struggle for influence between their factions, disrupting peaceful life. “Agriculture and livestock farming fell into decline, the useful establishment of gardens was subject to devastation, and instead of diligently engaging in crafts, everyone left their homes armed, always seeing their lives in danger,” wrote Russian mining engineers Burnashev and Pospelov, who were involved in surveying ore deposits in the surrounding mountains. But in 1784, the democratic infighting ceased when an assembly of elders—the kurultai—appointed the ruler of Tashkent, a descendant of Sheikh Khavend-Tahur, Khokim Shaykhantahur Yunus-Khodja, who in his youth had been Tole Bi’s personal secretary. Under Yunus-Khodja, Tashkent became an independent city-state, expanding its territory far beyond the ancient agricultural oasis of Chach.

The period of self-governance and prosperity, which was described in his book “Tarikhi Jadidayi Tashkant” by Muhammad Salikh Tashkandi, lasted almost a quarter of a century. In 1808, Tashkent was conquered again, this time by Alim-Khan, the ruler of Kokand from the Uzbek Ming tribe. But just a year later, Alim-Khan was killed in a conspiracy. Emir of Bukhara Nasrullah declared the Khan of Kokand Madali an apostate because he had married his father’s wife. After this, Nasrullah seized many of his lands, conquering Tashkent in 1842. For another two decades, the city was alternately besieged by Kokand and Bukhara forces, changing hands repeatedly. On the night of June 15, 1865, after a second assault by General Chernyaev’s troops, Tashkent was annexed to the Russian Empire and a year later became the official capital of the Turkestan Governorate-General.

*Inside the Mausoleum of Kaldirgach-Biy*

It should be noted that today the Mausoleum of Kaldirgach-Biy, located in the very center of Tashkent, does not attract a large number of pilgrims. However, it is certainly visited by those arriving from Kazakhstan—especially those who trace their lineage to the legendary Dulat clan. For modern Kazakhs, most of whom continue to honor the shazhere—the family history of their ancestors over many generations—Tole Bi is an outstanding tribal leader and, therefore, the patron of the clan. As for the current residents of Uzbekistan’s capital, nearly all of them know the legend of the sacred swallow. However, far from all associate this legend with the name of Tole Bi.

@ Andrey Kudryashov / “Fergana”