Mausoleum of Khoja Daniyar (St. Daniar), Daniyar (Daniel) — one of the most admired and most controversial relics of Samarkand. This saint is equally revered in Islam, Christianity and Judaism, but his ashes got to Samarkand land.
First, there is some prehistory.
Khoja Daniyar was born in the holy Jerusalem in 603 BC and came from the family of kings David and Solomon. After the capture of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar was taken to Babylon and studied science. He was diligent in learning and extremely devout, became famous for the ability to interpret dreams. He became a court at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, and after Darius and Cyrus, for refusing to worship an alien religion was oppressed and persecuted. Several times he was thrown to the lions, but the animals did not cause him any harm. After death in old age he was buried in the city of Susa. For devotion to the faith, wisdom and extraordinary gift Daniyar (Daniel) has been named as a prophet and canonized.
The most common version of the origin of the tomb of saint in Samarkand said that during his campaign in Asia Minor, Amir Timur was unable to take the city of Susa. The theologians came on help and told the king that the city was protected by the relics of the saint. Timur abandoned the assault, and instead asked for part of the dust, for the protection of Samarkand. The relics, with honors, carried by camels, but not reaching the city animal lay on the ground and would not like to climb, the elders decided that it was the sign and the place was built the tomb.
According to another version, the ashes were brought in 5-6 centuries to Samarkand by the immigrants from Iran — Jews or Christians, the authorities did not allow burying ashes in the city that is why grave lies outside the city walls.
There is another version that there are no Khoja Daniyar (St. Daniel’s) remains in the grave but Khoja Doniel’s — close associate of Kussam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, who came to Samarkand to preach Islam.
Unfortunately neither of versions has documentary evidence.
In either event, today the grave of the holy is a modern six-dome mausoleum, which was built in the beginning of 20th century. It is situated on the banks of the famous river Siab, north of Afrosiab place.
In the minds of burial spring passes, residents of the city and its environs benefiting from this water, believing in its healing power for many centuries.
Inside the mausoleum you can see the eighteen-meter tomb of the prophet. By one of the versions the tomb is constantly growing, on the other — a grave was made such a huge in order that no one knew where the relics exactly and the grave would not be robbed.
Near the mausoleum pistachio tree is growing, which is more than five hundred years according to the legend. It was quite dried but bloomed again in 1996 when the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexy II came to venerate the relics of the saint.