Draft:Buqʿa
Buq'a (Arabic: بُقْعَه) denotes the shrines of Imamzadas, religious scholars, and other distinctive religious structures, with examples ranging from modest tombs to magnificent mausoleums. During the Seljuk period, the term was employed in the eastern and central regions of the Islamic world to describe khanqahs, tombs, and edifices dedicated to worship, education, or charity. Etymologically, it is rooted in the phrase "al-buq'at al-mubaraka" (the blessed spot). The expansion of Islam, coupled with the tradition of commemorating martyrs, facilitated the widespread construction of buq'as, mashhads, and rawdas.
Since the Seljuk era, "buq'a" has also appeared in inscriptions and official texts; a notable example is the inscription of Yaghi Basan b. Ghazi in Niksar (552/1157), which references a dervish Khanqah. This usage persisted through the Ayyubid period in Jerusalem. In Turkish-Iranian culture, the term "buq'a" is associated with dervish khanqahs and the tombs of Sufi sheikhs, consistently evoking the notion of "blessed places."
In Iran, buq'as and Imamzadas constitute the most common religious edifices after mosques, with virtually no city lacking a tomb. Given the absence of a significant tomb-building tradition in pre-Islamic Iran, it is likely that Iranians adopted this architectural style from other Muslim regions following the arrival of Islam.
Concept
The term buq'a encompasses shrines dedicated to Imamzadas and religious figures, in addition to specific religious buildings. Across Islamic lands, structures classified as buq'as—ranging from small, simple tombs to expansive, magnificent mausoleums—are designated by various names depending on their form and function. The most prominent of these designations are: Qubba, Zarih, Turbat (Turba), Madfan, Qabr, Gur, Mazar, Marqad, Rawda, Mashhad, Maqam, and Maqbara.[citation needed]
History
The word "buq'a" was utilized during the Seljuk period, particularly in the eastern and central Islamic world, to signify a khanqah, tomb, or generally any structure intended for worship, educational, or charitable purposes. This semantic shift derives from the expression "al-buq'at al-mubaraka",[1] which in hadith literature refers to the sacred site of God's conversation with Moses (a). The phrase has also found extensive application in religious scriptures and Ziyara texts.[2]
The expansion of Islam, closely intertwined with the concepts of jihad and martyrdom, fostered a tradition of commemorating martyrs through the construction of mashhads, buq'as, and rawdas over their burial sites. Consequently, such structures became prevalent in many Islamic territories adjacent to the Dar al-Harb; for instance, in the Aswan region of Nubia, tombs dating from the 4th/10th and 5th/11th centuries have been documented,[3] whereas in regions such as Spain and Sicily, despite their proximity to battlefields, such monuments are notably absent.[4]
Researchers note that from the Seljuk period onward, the term "buq'a" appeared in inscriptions and official texts to denote places of worship, khanqahs, or tombs. An early instance is found in the inscription of Yaghi Basan b. Ghazi in Niksar (552/1157), which mentions a "buq'a mubaraka," likely referencing a dervish khanqah. This usage continued during the Ayyubid period and was employed in Jerusalem to designate madrasas and religious sites, such as "al-Buq'at al-Bayda" and "al-Buq'at al-Aqdsiyya".
Buq'a in Turkish and Iranian Culture
In Turkish-Iranian culture, the association of the word "buq'a" with dervish khanqahs and tombs—particularly those of Sufi sheikhs—is distinct. Regardless of their architectural plan or design, these structures consistently evoke the idea of "blessed places." In the book Asrar al-tawhid[5]—a biography of Abu Sa'id Abu l-Khayr—the word "buq'a" (and in one instance, "a buq'a of good") is used synonymously with khanqah.[6] O'Kane has compiled examples of buildings in Anatolia[7] and Iran bearing inscriptions that typically feature the term "buq'a," noting that the word was more prevalent in these regions than in the Arab world.[8]
In Iran, buq'as and Imamzadas represent the most common religious buildings after mosques, and virtually no city is without a tomb.[9] With the exception of the Tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae, pre-Islamic Iran possessed no significant tradition of distinct mausoleums. Consequently, upon the arrival of Islam, Iranians likely adopted the tomb-building style from their coreligionists in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.[10]
Notes
- ↑ Qur'an 28:30.
- ↑ For example, see: Ibn Qūlawayh, Kāmil al-ziyārāt, 1356 AH, vol. 1, pp. 26, 46, 234, 181, 276.
- ↑ Maqrīzī, Imtāʿ al-asmāʿ, 1420 AH, vol. 1, pp. 197-199.
- ↑ Hillenbrand, Maqābir, 1366 Sh, p. 26.
- ↑ Written by Muhammad b. Munawwar in the last quarter of the 6th/12th century.
- ↑ Muḥammad b. Munawwar, Asrār al-tawḥīd, 1386 Sh, pp. 44, 86, 146.
- ↑ For example, after the Danishmendids and the periods of the Seljuks of Rum and "Beyliks": Emirates.
- ↑ Muḥammad b. Munawwar, Asrār al-tawḥīd, 1386 Sh, pp. 94-96.
- ↑ Hillenbrand, Maqābir, 1366 Sh, p. 273.
- ↑ Hillenbrand, Maqābir, 1366 Sh, p. 27.
References
- Hillenbrand, Robert, Maqābir dar miʿmārī-yi Īrān: dawra-yi Islāmī, trans. Karāmat-Allāh Afsar, Tehran, Chāp-i Muḥammad Yūsuf Kiyānī, 1366 Sh.
- Ibn Qūlawayh, Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad, Kāmil al-ziyārāt, Najaf, Maṭbaʿat al-Murtaḍawiyya, 1356 AH.
- Maqrīzī, Aḥmad b. ʿAlī, Imtāʿ al-asmāʿ bimā li-l-Nabī min al-aḥwāl wa al-amwāl wa al-ḥafada wa al-matāʿ, ed. Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Namīsī, Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1420 AH.
- Muḥammad b. Munawwar, Asrār al-tawḥīd fī maqāmāt al-Shaykh Abī Saʿīd, ed. Muḥammad Riḍā Shafīʿī Kadkanī, Tehran, Nashr-i Āgāh, 1386 Sh.