31 AUGUST 2019 Y.
Some 80 kilometers from Tashkent, there is a small place of Khodjikent which is deeply beloved by all Tashkent people. When guests come to Tashkent there is no doubt where to take them and what to show – the mountains, of course. To Chimgan, Charvak, Chatkal passing small village of Khodjekent. Residence of holy people with old chinars (plane trees) and petroglyphs.
By the way, in ancient times it was well protected and populous town which existed till the 15th century. The safest route to China through the mountains passed this town. Caravans were crossing Chirchik River over the bridge which existed till the middle of the last century and was named “Donkey Bridge”, and everyone who came here for summer holidays at that time remembers it really clearly. Boris Golender, one the outstanding local history experts, says that for safety purposes, the bus was crossing shaky bridges empty and children were walking after it. Why is it called “donkey”? Probably because only donkeys were not afraid to cross this bridge while the rest of heavy caravan was wading and swimming.
Khodjikent is connected with the name of Khodji Akhrar who was born in Bogiston in 1404 and was the greatest mystics, Sufi, peacemaker, and teacher of Bakhauddin Nakhshbandi. It is said that he reconciled three enemies – Akhmad-Mirza from Samarkand, Umar-Sheik from Fergana and Makhmud-Sultan from Tashkent. His speech was so passionate that the enemies hugged and asked for forgiveness from each other. As a memory from Khodja old chinars aged over 600 years remained there. Once such a huge chenar grew there that people were gathering in its stem as in a hall; later there was chaikhona located. The chenar we see today is a “tail”, a “daughter” of that old chenar. Its size is really impressive! Can you imagine how gorgeous its “mother” was?
Today Cinara’s Complex is located here under the patronage of Karavan Group. The place was cleared from concrete and litter, decorated by landscape designer from Japan Kozi Ivatani who with great love managed to save “author’s” natural beauty of the place by emphasizing it with the help of subtle designer decisions.
Between the trees there is a cool spring which is gathered into small reservoirs with grottos – it flows from the waterfall called “Men’s Tears” that is located several meters upper the chenars. It is a really beautiful waterfall, not noisy and moderate.
Not far from the waterfall there is a camp of the primitive people with petroglyphs aged over 50 thousand years. This picture gallery is mysterious and raises a lot of questions still not answered. Along with sun movement, in the second part of the day, the gallery becomes alive, mountain goats looking in one direction run from hunters and spectators. And this is really impressive! You feel like an ancient person who came to the theatre. It is great that there are indifferent people who cleaned the rocks from vandal inscriptions and are ready to keep this wonderful museum in the open air.
Cinaras is a place for meditation. People come here to breathe fresh air and drink water from a clear spring. All illnesses and heavy thoughts leave, organism “recharges” and is ready to work hard again. In about a month a complex will be opened here where you can dine in the shadows of the trees, walk over the hills, and listen to legends. It is thought that Alexander the Great was sitting and thinking under these chenars and made the decision not to go deeper into the mountains into Oykeymena direction and turned back to Termez road. Yet it didn’t prevent Margelan people to think out a beautiful story that Makedonskiy came to their wonderful town and even gave it a name
It is not so important if Iskander Zalkarnay was here or not. What really important is that we can take the train from Salar Station and in 1.5 hours arrive at this amazing place, bring guests here and show them the miracles of ancient Khodjikent.