Turki Jandi
Boltayeva Durdona
The knowledgeable and friendly caretaker is pleased to show visitors around. Tajik or Russian are preferred here, so unless you bring a guide with you, be prepared to practice your language skills. The guided tour will take you deep into the main tomb chamber, past the small mosque, where photos are fine as long as you ask permission.
The complex is ancient, dating from the 10th century, and survived the destruction unleashed by Genghis Khan. The mysterious Turki Jandi is buried in the main mausoleum chamber accessed through a tiny portal and into a marble faced room located under the taller central dome. The condition of the mausoleum is what you might expect if things are left to their own devices for hundreds of years without interference from preservation authorities. No effort has been taken preserve any sense of authenticity, because authenticity isn’t what concerns the caretaker. This is a pilgrimage site for the faithful, not a Kodak moment for tourists. A hose-pipe across the floor, a plastic chair against the wall, metal bucket on the tombstone, and an armchair in the corner. After all, where else is the mullah supposed to sit? It doesn’t get any better than this.
Whenever we hear a monument or historic landmark described as “seldom visited,” “off the beaten path,” or “away from the core tourist area,” it acts like a magnet drawing our immediate interest. Always in search of authentic, un-renovated, and huge fans of the anti-disneyfication movement, nothing makes us more excited than raw unadulterated history. The Turki Jandi Mausoleum hidden deep within the maze of ancient streets in the old town of Bukhara is one of these places, and remains one of the most memorable experiences we’ve had traveling in Uzbekistan.
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