Tomb of Saint Daniel, Samarkand
When I am traveling across India, I have come across several places claiming to be the place where Lord Rama had rested or a place where the Pandavas had rested. This spans across the country and this always made me wonder which one is correct and which is not. Honestly, it’s very difficult since we are looking at a timeframe in history with very little or no documentation. It is always the knowledge passed down from one generation to the other verbally. The same I had seen when I visited the Tomb of Saint Daniel at Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
There are many claims about the Tomb of Saint Daniel which stretches from Iraq, Iran, Turkey to Morocco, and here in Samarkand, Uzbekistan we also find a tomb set to be the last resting place of Saint Daniel.
The Biblical Saint Daniel
To know the significance of the place let’s first try to get a quick gist as to who was Saint Daniel. He has a very significant connection to the Bible (Old Testament) as well as the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and one of the most famous chapters in them would be “Daniel in the lions’ den” which can be found in chapter 6.
Here rivals of Daniel who were jealous of him being close to King Darius tricked the king into issuing an order that for thirty days no one should worship God instead they should worship him. Daniel refused to obey this order and kept on praying to God (God of Israel). Words of his disobedience reached the king and for his act, he was put into a pit with hungry lions.
The next day when the king went to the pit to see what the lions had done to Daniel he was surprised to see that he was still alive. On enquiring Daniel told that God had sent an angel to shut the mouth of the lions. This was done by God as he was not to be blamed, the king realized his mistake and released Daniel and put those in the lion’s pit who had conspired against him.
This is one example of the tales amongst the many, the rest of the chapters are easily available online and can be accessed for free for your reference.
From an Islamic standpoint, there are no direct mentions of him in the Quran instead we find his reference in other Islamic texts that also include the story about him and the lions. In Islam, he is also considered a saintly person who was a prophet and instructed by God.
Tombs Of Saint Daniel
Daniel had died somewhere between 539 – 538 BC. Six other places around the world also claim to be the last resting place of the Saint:-
Tomb of Daniel at Susa (Iran)
Mosque of the Prophet Daniel, Kirkuk (Iraq)
Mala Amir, Khuzestan (Iran)
The tomb of the Prophet Daniel in Mosul (Iraq) – Does not exist any longer as it was destroyed
Mausoleum of Danyal, Tarsus (Turkey)
Tomb of Sidi Deniane, Oujda Region (Morocco)
History Of Saint Daniel’s Tomb In Samarkand
To my surprise this is also connected with Timur, it was he who had built this tomb in Samarkand. Daniel was originally set to have been buried in Susa, Iran and during the conquest by Timur around Persia there was one land he failed to conquer that is Susa, the place where Daniel was buried.
Timur agreed to stop his expedition to capture Susa and instead asked the locals to give a part of the relic belonging to Daniel. He was given his right hand which was carried back to Samarkand and then the tomb was built over the place where it was buried. After this, it is believed that Samarkand was very prosperous and Timur rose to the fame that we now know.
This is one of the very few sites that is revered by all three religions, Jews, Muslims, and Christian tourists and devotees throng to this place to seek blessings.
What To See At The Tomb Of Saint Daniel In Samarkand
The tomb of Saint Daniel is located next to the Afrasiyab ancient settlement with the Sieb Aryk (aqueducts) flowing next to it. The first thing that one can see is Saint Daniel’s Holy Spring which is a covered natural spring water source set to have healing powers. Devotees drink the water and also store the water in bottles to be taken back home.
Right next to the natural spring is a flight of stairs taking you to the top of a small elevated hillock where you will see a small building with the tomb inside covered in black cloth. The one thing that you will notice is the length of the tomb which is around eighteen meters. Originally the tomb is set to be covered by onyx and black marble but that cannot be seen as it remains covered with black cloth.
At the back of the building is the archeological site of the Afrasiyab ancient settlement. This section however is not directly accessible from the tomb.
The area around the tomb has been developed beautifully with large landscaped areas (Saint Daniel Square) and a separate section for tourist shops and cafes.
Tomb Of Saint Daniel In Samarkand
Other Blogs On Samarkand
Registan Square Samarkand
Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum