Hazret-Hyzr Mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Hazret-Hyzr Mosque

The mosque named after Hazret-Hyzr, an Islamic saint and eternal wanderer, stands on the southern slope of Afrasiab hill, on a crossroad behind the central bazaar. A legend says that Hazret-Hyzr helped the patron of Samarkand Kusam ibn Abbas to avoid death and become never-dying. Once, there was a pagan temple idols of which were broken in the first years of Islam. The temple was converted into a mosque. Hazret-Hyzr was esteemed as a saint giving monetary wealth and luck in far voyages and trade. Today's mosque was built on the medieval foundations in 1854. Carved ganch and colored paintings on the ceiling decorate the interior.