"Where a walking staff became a tree and three pilgrimages became one hajj"
Bahauddin Naqshband Memorial Complex
Bukhara, Bukhara Province, Uzbekistan
In a village outside Bukhara, pilgrims have gathered for six centuries at the tomb of Baha-ud-Din Naqshband, founder of one of the largest Sufi orders in the world. Called the 'Central Asian Mecca,' the site draws over two million visitors annually who circle a sacred wishing stone, crawl beneath an ancient mulberry said to have grown from the master's staff, and seek the blessings of a saint who taught that the hands should work while the heart remains with God.
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Quick Facts
Location
Bukhara, Bukhara Province, Uzbekistan
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
39.7691, 64.4513
Last Updated
Jan 7, 2026
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband was born near Bukhara in 1318 and died in 1389. His grave became a pilgrimage site immediately after his death. The mausoleum was built in 1544, and the complex grew over subsequent centuries. Soviet suppression closed the shrine for most of the twentieth century; it reopened in 1993 and was extensively restored. UNESCO inscribed the site in 2023.
Origin Story
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband was born in March 1318 in the village of Qasr-i Hinduvan (now Kasri Orifon), about twelve kilometers from Bukhara. His life was marked by the number seven, considered holy in Sufism: born in the seventh month, he memorized the Quran by age seven and died at seventy. He studied with various Sufi masters and eventually founded his own order, the Naqshbandiyya, which would become one of the largest in the world.
Unlike many Sufi orders that emphasized withdrawal from society, Naqshband taught that spiritual practice should happen amid daily work. His famous principle—'Let the heart be with God and the hands be with work'—attracted followers who wanted to pursue the mystical path without abandoning their trades and families.
After his death in 1389, his grave immediately became a pilgrimage destination. The faithful came to pray at his tomb, and traditions of wish fulfillment developed around the site. Khan Abdulaziz built the formal mausoleum in 1544, 155 years after Naqshband's death. Over subsequent centuries, the complex expanded to include mosques, a madrasah, a khanqah (Sufi lodge), a minaret, and pilgrim hostels.
Legend holds that Naqshband once planted his walking staff in the ground at this site, and from it grew the sacred mulberry tree whose trunk still stands in the courtyard. Another legend suggests a fire temple occupied this spot before Islam, indicating the location's deep sacred history.
Key Figures
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband
Founder of the Naqshbandi Order
Khan Abdulaziz
Builder of the mausoleum
Spiritual Lineage
The Naqshbandi Sufi order traces its spiritual lineage (silsila) through a chain of masters back to the Prophet Muhammad via Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, the first Caliph. This distinguishes it from most other Sufi orders, which trace their lineage through Ali, the Prophet's son-in-law. The order emphasizes silent remembrance (dhikr khafi) rather than the vocal dhikr common in other orders. After Naqshband's death, the order continued through various masters and spread across the Islamic world, establishing major branches in Turkey, India, Indonesia, and elsewhere. The order remains active today, with followers in many countries.
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