Mazor-i Sharif

Tajikistan


By some accounts, Mazor-i Sharif (meaning 'noble shrine') marks the ancient last resting place of an 8th-century missionary from Basra, Mohammad Bashoro. With 14th-century elaborations, this active pilgrimage site is a gem with carved wooden doors, delicate plaster work around the mihrab and a tiny hermit-retreat. The setting among poplars and shaded by plane trees makes for a fittingly tranquil atmosphere. The shrine is 9km south of Guzar off the main A377 Penjikent-Ayni road, some 35km from Penjikent.

If the gate is shut, the caretaker can be summoned from nearby to open the shrine. Microbuses occasionally pass along the valley, saving the two-hour walk from the main road (1TJS).