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Home > Heart and Soul > Uzbekistan: The Country of a Hundred Shrines


	Podcast:		Heart and Soul
	Episode:		Uzbekistan: The Country of a Hundred Shrines
	Category:		Religion & Spirituality
	Duration:		00:26:29
	Publish Date:		2018-06-29 21:00:00
	Description:		Uzbekistan - the most populous country in Central Asia is, is sometimes called the country of a hundred shrines or the “second Mecca”. It is home to hundreds of well-preserved mosques, madrassas, bazaars and mausoleums, dating largely from the 9th to the 17th centuries, almost untarnished by the time. In fact, many shrines find their roots in pre-Islamic and pagan times. The strict Soviet anti-religion stance couldn’t stop believers from paying respect their holy sites of pilgrimage. Neither could the Muslim Ulema who say that visiting shrines may contradict Islamic teachings. Locked for most of the past 200 years under the Russian rule, it emerged as an independent nation in 1991 – only to slide into a totalitarian state with restricted religious freedoms. Poverty, the loss of identity and the closeness to volatile neighbours such as Afghanistan and Tajikistan have contributed to the spread of radicalisation. Hundreds of Uzbeks fight alongside militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Mideast. In the last couple of years several radicalised Uzbeks committed terror attacks in the USA, Europe and Russia prompting the fears that the many young Uzbeks might be joining militant Islamist groups. Now the new Uzbek government is ready to restore and open all shrines to public in a bid to boost tourism and most importantly – to fight the growing radicalism among young Uzbeks. Rustam Qobilov travels to his native Uzbekistan to find out if the increased interest to shrines can indeed stop radicalism. He will visit the most famous shrines in Bukhara and Samarkand alongside the pilgrims; will speak to young Muslims, religious leaders and government officials to find out what is the right way to go about Uzbekistan’s 100 shrines, and does opening the borders to tourist bring in more challenge than the country can take? Produced by Natalia Golysheva Photo Credit: Festival of Silk and Spices, Bukhara Natalia Golysheva/ BBC
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