Abstract:

Hajj is a visit to the Kaaba located in Mecca in Islam, and its performance is considered one of the 5 main duties that a Muslim must perform. But in the past, Central Asia was geographically far from the city of Mecca, and getting there required a long journey and various difficulties, limiting the ability of many to fulfill this commitment.

This situation created the basis for the emergence of various custom and legends about the Hajj among local Muslims, the formation of local shrines associated with the Hajj, and the appearance of toponyms associated with it. Some of them have a theoretical basis. Also, their emergence was based on vital spiritual needs, the ideas of Sufism, which have been ingrained in the minds of the local people for many centuries. It can even be observed that during this period there was ignorance in some strata of the population in the society, and some categories that took advantage of the strong desire for Hajj turned Hajj travel into a source of income.

It is known that in the late Middle Ages, visiting the graves of some Sufi sheikhs among all the peoples of Central Asia was equivalent to visiting the Kaaba. For example, there was a tradition of equating visiting the mausoleum of Ahmad Yassawi (died 1166-1167) in Turkestan, the Shakhimardan, Takhti-Suleiman (Osh), Ashab al-Kahf (Turfan) and the mausoleum of Imam Jafar Sadiq (Khutan)) with the Hajj. This is explained by the fact that the region is located far from Mecca, where the ideas of Sufism are widespread. Among the Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyzes, one visit to the grave of Khoja Ahmed Yassawi is equivalent to a Hajj, among the Turkmens, two visits to the shrine of Sarahs Baba are considered a pilgrimage to the Kaaba. This evidence shows that during this period, not everyone had the financial and physical ability to travel long pilgrimage routes and brave the dangers of the roads. This has led local Muslims to sanctify the visit to the graves of the great Sheikhs to the extent of equating the visit to the Kaaba.

So, the history of this tradition, which is preserved even today among the local people, formed in the Middle Ages, when Sufism and its ideas were widespread among representatives of all classes.