The Shrine of Khawaja Abu Nasr Parsa, located in
Balkh
), named for its green-tiled ''Gonbad'' ( prs, گُنبَد, dome), in July 2001
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,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, is a mausoleum dedicated to the
Naqshbandi
The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نهقشهبهندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni order of Sufism. Its name is derived from Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Naqshbandi masters trace their ...
mystic and religious teacher,
Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa
Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa (died 1461) was a 15th-century Sufi of the Naqshbandi order from the city of Balkh.
References
Sources
*
Akbarian Sufis
People from Balkh
Naqshbandi order
1461 deaths
Year of birth unknown
{{Islam-bio-stub ...
. Today it is part of the
Green Mosque complex.
History
Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa died in 1461, and later on a mausoleum was erected over his grave by the
Timurid Timurid refers to those descended from Timur (Tamerlane), a 14th-century conqueror:
* Timurid dynasty, a dynasty of Turco-Mongol lineage descended from Timur who established empires in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent
** Timurid Empire of C ...
general,
Mir Mazid Arghun. Yet some sources state it to be the Timurid ruler
Mir Jalal al-Din Farid Arghun. The mausoleum and the adjoining mosque was renovated by the
Shaybanid
The Shibanids or Shaybanids ( fa, سلسله شیبانیان) or more accurately the Abu'l-Khayrid-Shibanids were a Persianized''Introduction: The Turko-Persian tradition'', Robert L. Canfield, Turko-Persia in Historical Perspective, ed. Robert L. ...
governor
Abdul-Mo'min bin Abdullah Khan in the late 16th century.
In modern times, the site fell into disrepair during the
Soviet-Afghan war.
Architecture
The plan of the shrine is a chambered square enveloping a cross-shaped dome chamber aligned with the qibla along the southwest-northeast axis. Its elevation is outshadowed by the monumental portal screen and dome. Eight openings allow light to enter the dome, but some of them have cracked, revealing the inner structure of the dome. The dome has a base of muqarnas and the bottom part is covered with floral designs and ceramic tiles. Underneath the dome chamber, underground, there is a crypt containing an unmarked tomb, said to be that of Abu Nasr Parsa. A column was added later to support the crown of the crypt vault.
Location of the grave of Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa
Local tradition maintains that the tomb of the Khwaja is outside the main entrance iwan of the building. However, upon excavation of a crypt below the building, an unmarked tomb was discovered. Researchers identified this grave as that of Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa.
References
{{reflist
Shrines in Afghanistan