Sheikh Zaynuddin Bobo Mausoleum

The sheikh

Sheikh Zaynuddin Kuyi Orifon at-Tashkandi was an author of devotional works and a master of the Suhrawardiyya Sufi order. His birth date is unknown, and he is said to have died aged 95. According to the sources he was a son of the order's founder, who sent him to Tashkent to spread its teachings. He was buried in the cemetery of Orifon village beyond the Kukcha Gate, now inside the city, and the shrine still draws many pilgrims.

Mausoleum and chillakhana

Beside the mausoleum is an underground cell, or chillakhana, where legend says the sheikh spent 40-day retreats of prayer. Sources disagree on dates: the cell is placed in the 7th–8th or the 12th century, the mausoleum in Timur's time (14th century) or the 16th century, and in either case it was rebuilt in the late 19th century. The building measures 18 × 16 metres and rises 20.7 metres; a 14th-century chartak pavilion also stands on the site.