The videos document my pilgrimage from Indonesia to the African continent by land (no airplane!). The route: 1.) Indonesia: Traveling through Sumatran Mountains and Prehistoric Sites 2.) Malaysia: Meeting with the Aborigines of the Malay Peninsula 3.) Thailand: Tracing the Southeast Asian Ancient Empires 4.) Laos: Experiencing the Lao-China Railway 5.) China: Backpacking the Tibetan Plateau to the Edge of the Silk Road 6.) Kazakhstan: First Contact with the Central Asians 7.) Uzbekistan: Pilgrimage in the Land of the Timurids 8.) Tajikistan: Lost in the Fenn Mountains 9.) Afghanistan: Visiting Afghanistan after the Taliban Takeover 10.) Iran: Surrounded by the Ancient Civilization of Persia 11.) UAE: Short Transit in Futuristic Cities 12.) Saudi Arabia: Pilgrimage in the Holy Land of the Muslims 13.) Jordan: Catching a Glimpse of Jerusalem 14.) Egypt: Ending in the Land of Pharaohs
Curated by: Bang Jago (174 videos)
After arriving in Bukhara on the 112th day, on the 113th day I went to the outskirts of Bukhara to visit the grave of Bahauddin al-Bukhari an-Naqshbandi, the founder of the Naqshbandi Order, one of the largest Sufi Order in the world with an estimated 100 million followers. This tomb is the main destination for Naqhsbandi pilgrims from all over the world. To make the pilgrimage, it is recommended to first visit the grave of Sayyid Amir Kulal, the teacher of Naqshbandi. As a Sufi teacher, his teachings were highly appreciated by his followers, even some of his sayings were displayed in the tomb complex as if they were parallel to the Quran and Hadiths. Interestingly, the walls of the tomb are also decorated with the simplified symbolism of the faravahar, the main symbol of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran. I noticed some of his followers pray towards the grave, as if asking for blessings from the teacher. Because of these three things, some very conservative Muslims think that Sufi traditions like this are no longer pure Islam. Personally, I am just an observer who feels it is not my place to pass judgment. Certainly the the followers of Naqshbandi is growing rapidly in the world and pilgrims from abroad come to the tomb to make pilgrimage. In front of the tomb, a teacher gave teachings and prayers. I had a chance to chat a little with the imam and he said that in Indonesia there are 218,000 followers of Naqshbandi. After the conversation, I toured the tomb complex which has several mosques and also the tombs of several emirs of Bukhara. After visiting the Naqshbandi Mausoleum, I continued chatting with my traveling friends while having lunch. Casual discussions about religion seem to have been a daily occurrence in Bukhara since the city was founded. Tomorrow I plan to tour the old city of Bukhara to observe the development of religious learning in the hometown of Imam Bukhari, the famous hadith narrator. ___ Sumatra Stage 1 Route (DONE!): Jakarta - Bandar Lampung - Baturaja - Lahat - Pagar Alam - Bengkulu - Lebong Tandai - Kerinci - Jambi - Kuala Tungkal - Batam - Johor Bahru ASEAN Mainland Stage 2 Route (DONE!): Johor Bahru - Kuala Tahan - Kota Bharu - Su-Ngai Kolok - Nakhon Si Thammarat - Chaiya - Nakhon Pathom - Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima - Phimai - Nong Khai - Vientiane - Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang - Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai - Pai - Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai - Boten - Kunming, China China Stage 3 Route (DONE!): Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Shangri-La - Shambala - Litang - Chengdu - Leshan - Chengdu - Xi'an - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang - Turpan - Urumqi - Almaty, Kazakhstan Stage 4 Central Asia Route: Almaty - Shymkent - Tashkent - Nukus - Muynak - Turtkul - Khiva - Bukhara - Samarkand - Tashkent - Khujand - Fann Mountains - Dushanbe - Kunduz, Afghanistan *Follow my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/obeysianipar/) for direct messages **Message me for sponsorship --- Music Credits: And Awaken - Stings by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.