Qusam Sheikh Shrine

Abstract

The article examines the history and architecture of the Qusam Sheikh shrine, located in the village of Pudina, Koson district, Kashkadarya region, 15 km northwest of Karshi. It covers the life and activities of Sheikh Qusam (c. 1198–1338), a descendant of Khoja Ahmad Yassawi, a preacher of the Yassawi order and a teacher of Bahauddin Naqshband, and highlights his role in turning Pudina into a religious and cultural center, including the founding of a school of hadith studies. Drawing on the works of Abdurrahman Jami and Alisher Navoi, as well as archival materials, oral history, and field research, the author describes the sheikh's spiritual heritage and his standing as the "sheikh of sheikhs." The article also analyzes the architectural composition of the ensemble, formed between the 11th and 19th centuries, based on the archaeological studies of R. Abdurasulov, L. Rempel, and L. Mankovskaya: the entrance gates, the mausoleums of Is'haq ota, Sevinch ota, and Mansur Muhammad, the nine-domed mosque, and the district mosque. The ensemble is shown to be one of the oldest and most distinctive examples of Central Asian architecture, stylistically close to the Timurid architecture of the 14th century. The restoration works carried out in 1990–1995 and in 2020 are also discussed.