«Chor-Chinor» grove («Chor-Chinor»)

About

Origin of the name and legends

The name «Chor-Chinor» translates from Tajik as «Four Chinars». According to folk tradition, the grove was founded by an Islamic preacher or military commander who planted four chinar cuttings by a spring gushing from the rock. Over time the trees grew, put down deep roots and gave rise to a shady forest oasis that became a center of pilgrimage (ziyorat) and Sufi seclusion.

The thousand-year-old chinars and the tree-room

Age and microclimate: The grove is located in a natural hollow and is continuously fed by groundwater. The age of the oldest trees has been confirmed by botanists and exceeds 1000 years. The dense canopy of interwoven branches creates deep shade and holds coolness even in the height of 40-degree summer heat.

The famous hollow-room: In the root part of the most gigantic chinar, a spacious cavity formed over the centuries. It was fitted with a carved wooden door, window openings and benches around the perimeter:

In the Middle Ages the cavity served as a secluded cell of dervishes of a Sufi order.

In the 18th–19th centuries a primary spiritual school (maktab) operated in it.

In 1917–1920 it successively housed the revolutionary committee (revkom), the village soviet and the reading hut.

Today the room inside the trunk is open to visitors — 10–12 people can comfortably be inside it at the same time.

The sacred spring and hauz

From beneath the mighty roots of the plane trees a cold karst spring gushes, filling an artificial stone reservoir (hauz) where marinka fish swim. Among the people, the spring water is revered as healing, helping with diseases of the eyes, joints and digestion.

Architectural objects on the territory

Mosque (1914): A Friday mosque with an unusual cylindrical dome, a patterned ceiling and an open ayvan resting on figured wooden columns with fine Urgut carving.

Mausoleum of Khoja Abu Talib Sarmast: The tomb of a Sufi and saint revered in the region, at whose grave pilgrims come to pray.

Infrastructure: The complex is landscaped with paved paths, stone terraces, benches for rest and a traditional chaikhana with topchans.