Shakh Fazil
Shakh Fazil Archaeological Complex
The Shakh Fazil (or Shah Fazil) Archeological Complex is located 10 km from the Kerben village in the Jalal-Abad region of Kyrgyzstan at the northern slopes of the Fergana Valley. It is a sacred Muslim site and is a target for an annual mass pilgrimage. According to many scholars, the main structure is the Tomb of Shah Fadl. It is a major Qarakhanid tomb that has been possibly built between 1050–1060 AD. The complex also includes the sacred mountain called Archa-Mazar with the Alamberdar mausoleum (19th century), the mausoleum of Shah-Fazil, a mosque dating from 18th – 19th centuries, mausoleum of Safid-Buland, Kyrgyz-Machet and a cave of a holy hermit.
The mausoleum of Shah-Fazil is the tomb of the Ferghana Shah Mahmud ibn-Nasyr, a ruler from the Karakhanid era. According to a legend, 2772 Arab martyrs were executed in Kyrgyz-Machet, that was attacked during prayer. A girl named Bulan washed the severed heads to find the head of her lover among them and buried all the warriors in this place. In the memory of this girl, the Safed-Bulend mausoleum was built (“safed” in Arabic means “holy”). Only women who pray for the well-being of the family or the birth of children are allowed to enter here.
