Imam al-Maturidi Memorial Complex

The Imam of Guidance

Abu Mansur Muhammad al-Maturidi (c. 870–944; some sources give his birth as 853) was a theologian, Hanafi jurist and Qur'an commentator from Maturid, a district near Samarkand. The Maturidi school he founded is one of the principal traditions of Sunni theology, known for the weight it gives to reason and human responsibility. His best-known works are the Kitab al-Tawhid and the Qur'an commentary Ta'wilat Ahl al-Sunna, and across the Muslim world he is honoured as Imam al-Huda, the 'Imam of Guidance'.

Chokardiza cemetery

Al-Maturidi was buried in Samarkand's Chokardiza cemetery, which from the 10th century was counted among the holiest burial grounds in the Islamic world. Tradition says many scholars rest here, among them Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani, author of the legal classic al-Hidaya, and Najm al-Din Umar al-Nasafi. In Soviet times burials were banned; in the 1940s the graves were destroyed and the land handed over for housing – al-Maturidi's gravestone was lost at the same time.

The memorial complex

For the 1,130th anniversary of his birth, a memorial complex of about four hectares was laid out here in 2000. At its heart stands a symbolic mausoleum of fired brick, 12 by 12 metres and 15 metres high to the top of its ribbed blue dome, whose drum is pierced by 24 small arches with ganch lattices. Sayings of the scholar are carved on the white marble cenotaph. Research on the site uncovered the foundations of a Timurid-era mausoleum and the site of an old mosque, and a platform beside the mausoleum displays gravestones from the 9th to the 18th centuries.

Today

In 2025–2026 the complex is being greatly enlarged: a new mosque, research centre, library, museum and car park are under construction across 10.2 hectares of Chokardiza, and part of the surrounding neighbourhood has been demolished to make room. As of March 2026 work was still under way, so parts of the site may be closed when you visit.