Hacı Mahmud Əfəndi türbəsi

Haji Mahmud efendi tomb or Goy tomb — the shrine of Haji Mahmud Efendi; a tomb and locally significant historic monument in the ancient cemetery of Aslanbeyli village.

About

The tomb is in the ancient cemetery of Aslanbeyli village, on the left side of the road that runs along the Incesu River. Known in the Kazakh, Ganja and Borchaly districts as "Goy tomb," Haji Mahmud Efendi's tomb is also famous as a place of popular belief. The number of people who have made vows and come here is unknown. It is a pilgrimage site known in Ganja-Kazakh, Borchaly districts, Dagestan, and Turkey.

The rectangular tomb, located within a wide and solid fence, was erected in 1893.

Haji Mahmud Efendi, who lived from 1835 to 1896, was a well‑known religious figure of his time. He received his religious education in Turkey. As a sign of respect to his beloved teacher Seyid Mir Hamza Nigari Qarabagi, Haji Mahmud Efendi had a large tomb built in the city of Amasya, Turkey, at the place where his teacher was buried. A plaque with Haji Mahmud Efendi's name was placed in front of the tomb.

Because some elements of the building are painted blue, people sometimes also call it Goy tomb. In the tomb are the graves of Haji Mahmud Efendi Qaranin (1835–1896), who won the affection of the whole region with his erudition and benevolence, and his companion Seyid Yasin.

The tomb in the village of Aslanbəyli is also a beautiful example of architecture. The monument is covered with a dome, its façade decorated with architectural ornaments, ornaments and inscriptions. To give special beauty to the tomb, vaulted arches were built. The construction date of the monument is evident from the inscriptions carved in Arabic script on its walls. A little above the entrance gate the date is written. "Binai-tərbeye-tarix arar təbi bulur qəvvas, Dedi kim bu ğəriq oldu səfa Allah səfadır bu. 1318". From the meaning of this couplet it is known that the word indicated by the abjad calculation in the poem is the word "ğəriq". This corresponds to the year 1310 in the Hijri‑Qamari calendar and to the year 1892 in the Gregorian calendar. However, the date at the end of the couplet shows the year 1318. Researchers who examined this date consider the construction of the tomb in 1892 to be the more correct date. The surrounding area of the construction is a cemetery. Above the nearby one stands the mosque built in 1909 on the initiative of Həmid Əfəndi and the house of Hacı Mahmud Əfəndi.

History

After the sudden death of his close friend and fellow believer Seyid Yasin in 1892, Hacı Mahmud Əfəndi erected a tomb over his grave. Three years later he himself was also buried there according to his will. It is said that Hacı Mahmud Əfəndi brought the tomb’s design from Turkey. The most famous craftsmen of İnce Dərə and Borçalı carried out its construction. The supervision of the construction was undertaken by the pilgrim’s brother‑in‑law Daşsalahlı Mustafa bey Miralayev. The tomb is considered sacred and even despite the prohibitions imposed during the Soviet period, it has been visited up to the present day by people coming from near and far each year.

During the Soviet era visiting the tomb became very difficult. Even in the years of repression the golden crescent and star symbol on it was stolen. Later it was restored at the expense of the local community.

Architectural structure

The Hacı Mahmud Əfəndi tomb (interior 4 × 4 metres) has a quadrangular shape. The height of the tomb is 6 metres. Its walls are plastered on the inside with a sand‑cement mixture and finished in green colour. The tomb has one entrance door and two windows. Inside there are two graves. Inside the entrance door – on the left side is the grave of Hacı Mahmud Əfəndi, on the right side is the grave of Seyid Yasin Əfəndi. Persian inscriptions are carved on the headstones.

It should be noted that Seyid Yasin Efendi was a friend of Mahmud Efendi. The walls of the tomb are faced with stone slabs. The tomb has been preserved as it is. However, in 1987 repair work was carried out here. The repair work was carried out at the expense of the endowment collected for the tomb.

The tomb has been registered by the state.