The article dwells on the historic background and factors which caused an emergence of architectural monuments of the XIII – XIV centuries in Khujand, one of the ancient and important urban trade centers of the Silk Road. These monuments are a cultural heritage that reflects the socio- political and cultural characteristics of the studied period. It is noted that the Mongol conquest (1219-1221) led to a physical extirpation of not only a large number of Muslims but to extermination of the material culture of the Middle East and Central Asia either. However, the conquerors were defeated by the local culture and religion: first, individual khans, then representatives of nobility and ordinary nomads accepted Islam. The adoption of Islam by the elite of the Chagatay milieu consolidated the nomadic and settled agricultural nobilities. At the same time, the role of Muslim clergy was being elevated. The new Muslims out of Mongolian elite, especially khans, sought to “show off” and prove their piety by practical deeds: mosques and madrasahs were built, schools and libraries were organized. Activeness and zealousness manifested themselves in strenuous constructions of the religious buildings in the cities of Mawerannahr and Khorasan, Khujand inclusive (the mausoleums of Tubakhan, Khazrati Bobo, and Sheikh Muslikhiddin). Legends and traditions are associated with each of them testifying to the growing importance and popularity of religious monuments and Moslemic shrines along the Silk Road.
Key-words: history of Khujand, Silk Road, nomads’ elites and Islam, architecture, mausoleum, monuments of XIII – XIV centuries
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