NHT Exclusive
The tourism industry in Uzbekistan has significant development potential. It is associated both with the presence of a large number of unique natural objects, and with a rich cultural and historical heritage. On the territory of the country there are over 7,000 monuments of architecture and art from different eras and civilizations, many of which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Uzbekistan is famous for its mosques, mausoleums and structures erected on the Great Silk Road – the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean. On this road, the wealth and contact of cultures grew Uzbek cities.
In particular, Samarkand is one of the most historical and beautiful cities in Uzbekistan, where there are many historical places. One of which is Khoja Chor-Chinor, which is located in the Urgut district of the Samarkand region, 50 km southeast of the city. Khoja Chor-Chinor is an ancient plantation, this name is translated as “Four plane trees of Khoja”. Chinars are trees, better known like plane trees. According to legend, it was four such trees that laid the foundation for this garden. Due to the fact that all the trees are very ancient, it is no longer possible to determine which of all the plane trees were the very first. Many people from all over Central Asia came and continue to come here for repentance and healing. People come to Chor-Chinor with their problems to search of peace, and for a piece of the wisdom of this place. Moreover, visitors are representatives of completely different faiths, regardless of their social status.
At first glance, this unusual park is just a hollow hidden by tree branches. Some plane trees are striking in their trunk diameter, and their crowns have intertwined so tightly over a large number of years that they seem inseparable. The trees are carefully guarded, on the trunk of each of them there is an information plate with the indicated approximate age. There are specimens that are already more than 1000 years old, the youngest are about 600 years old.
As you know, in these holy places there were more than 100 plane trees, which increased in volume from the inside. 15-20 students were trained inside one tree. The diameter of one plane tree is 15 meters, and the height reaches up to 35 meters. Each such tree itself rots from the inside and expands in volume. In addition, new young roots sprout inside the plane trees and make up for the losses. There is another legend that once an unscrupulous person tried to get the holy Koran hanging inside the plane tree by throwing a stone at it, but at that moment an unprecedented force from the plane tree, like a hand, grabbed the stone and that same stone is still inside the tree.
For Muslims, Chor-Chinor is a sacred place, as for many years believers have read prayers in this garden. Those who have visited the park note the feeling of grace and tranquility that arises here. Many come here for healing, repentance, peace.
A central path leads through the entire park, on each side of which centuries-old giant plane trees grow. The largest trees are near the entrance gate. You can see the roots coming out.
In the 9th century, the commander Khoja Abu Talib was buried under one of the most ancient plane trees. It is believed that during the Arab invasions, he became the ruler of Urgut and planted four plane trees near the spring. Therefore, the garden is also called by his name “Khoja Chorchinar”. When Abu Talib Ibn Sarmast once planted 4 plane trees and asked God for water for these trees, a hot spring began to break out of the ground at the site of the current shrines. Another belief about how the great commander Amir Temur was presented with a horse that was not afraid of either fire or water, and had a number of other qualities. And one day, while driving over the grave of Abu Talib Ibn Sarmast, his horse slipped. Then Amir Temur asked his courtiers what kind of place this was and heard in response that the ashes of the great holy figure were buried here. After that, Amir Temur gives an order for the improvement of that place.
Not far from the Chor-Chinor complex, the old cemetery begins, but many graves of famous figures are located on the territory of the complex itself.
Several dozen ancient trees feed on moisture from a water spring, a stream from which flows throughout the garden. There is a pond near the spring, which pilgrims tend to visit. The fish in the pond, including the “gold” fish, are considered sacred because of the peculiarity and holiness of the place itself. The water in the spring is credited with healing properties.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a mosque was built in the garden, which originally served as a madrasah. It is located on an uneven plot of land, but the slope did not prevent all the proportions of the structure from being observed. In the Soviet years, the building was used as an orphanage, a canteen.
Majestic plane trees are breathtaking in their splendor, but one tree is truly special. The roots of this tree formed a kind of cave. It is located completely underground, as if inside a tree.
You can get here through a wooden carved door, the lock of which is opened by the caretaker of the garden. Inside, you can see that the walls are partially reinforced with bricks, there is a minimum of stump furniture. The capacity of the cave is about a dozen people, it is damp and cool there. It is preferable to stay there alone or with loved ones. It is believed that the Sufis retired there to read prayers, conduct conversations and conduct classes in their school. It is also said that the Bolsheviks held their secret meetings in this tree. In confirmation of the version about the school of the Sufi order, the common name of this tree – “planet school” – testifies. The most striking thing is that the plane tree with a cave in its hollow continues to grow. The tree is easy to find near the entrance to the garden.
Local residents say that once in the 70s of the last century, they wanted to cut down the sacred plane trees, but the tractor could not move them, the trees took root so strongly. In the hot summer months in the hollow of the plane tree it is cool and fresh, and in winter it is warm.
There is one event that caused talk about the unusual place of Chor-Chinor. The stream that flows through the garden begins at a spring with a small pond. And this source beats from the middle of the stone. When geologists decided to study the groundwater of the area, they took out this stone. The next morning it turned out that without a stone, water stopped flowing into the source, and the pond dried up. The stone was returned to its original place, and the water flowed again. There is a belief that if you look at the flowing water of this spring, then only a noble person can see the image of the Kaaba in the reflection of the water. The water of this spring is considered to be curative and treats diseases of the heart, liver, skin diseases and many others. It is still unknown where and how this spring made its way out of the ground. “It is better to see once than listening hundred times”. This expression is truer than ever in relation to “Chor-Chinor”.
