ASHAB-i- KAHF, Alti Khwaja (Cave at)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The portal of a mosque (masjid), erected against the side of a hill, gives access to sacred man-made rock chambers excavated from -mud- (1) and used as a temple cave. A fabulous tunnel which, inspite of being blocked with soil a few metres in, connects to Mecca (N21°27': E039°49'), which lies in Saudi Arabia and about 2901.5 km in a direct line approximately ESE from this ziarat (religious site and pilgrimage place). SITUATION: At the village of Alti Khwaja / Alti Khvajeh / Khwajah Altai Azizan (2) in the valley of the Hirak, and 4 or 5 km south of the road from Ghormach (about 15 km away) to Qaysar (Kaisar), about 50 km away (3). CAVE DESCRIPTION: The entrance to the cave is marked by a brick portico some 20 feet [6 m] in height, surmounted, like all places of pilgrimage in this country, by the skulls and horns of wild sheep … Walking down the passage some 10 or 12 yards [9 or 11 m] to a vaulted chamber, and then turning down another passage to the right, one comes to a small lowpassage at the end filled up with loose earth. This, the Sayeds declared, was a direct passage to Mecca, but the God would not allow it to be opened, as so fast as they dug out the earth from the entrance, it was filled up again by supernatural means. Turning, then, again to the right, we had to ascend a ladder [LINDBERG 1958: 121: a stair with twelve steps] into a dark chamber above [4], floored with boards, and in this is the wooden screen … enclosing the sleepers (YATE, C E 1888: 156). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: The -cave- is used as a temple cave and an enduring religious show cave sacred to pious Muslims (5). Relics give evidence that the cave owners are Soltan Sandjar Mazi's (6) successors of interest (LINDBERG 1958: 121). CULTURAL HISTORY - folklore & cave legend: To Christians, the biblical story of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (today: Selçuk, in Turkey) is pretty well known (7) and the tradition is confirmed in the eyes of Muslims by the mention of it in the Surah-ul- Khf, or Chapter of the Cave in the Koran (XVIII: 10-18). It is there related how these seven men, firm in their faith of their own god, separated from the others of their tribe who had taken to other gods, and taking refuge in a cave, were caused to sleep there, with their dog (8), for 300 years increased by nine (submission.org/suras/sura18.htm accessed 10.12.2003). According to YATE (1888: 152-156), change the Eshans (Sayeds, 9) at Ashab-i- Kahf the scene from Ephesus to Afghan Turkestan, and tell a very different story in which a shepherd from Shibarghan became King Dakianus (note 10). Having conquered the world put Dakianus himself up as god whereupon six of his servants took leave. Led by a shepherd and his dog, the altai azizan (six friends) went to a cave where they fell asleep. Waking up 309 years later, they felt hungry and sent one of their number to go to the city nearby, called Shar-i- Afsoz, to buy bread. Having met the king, his hawk and dog, they returned to the cave, no without catching a deer on the way home. On arrival at the cave, not only the original six friends and the shepherd, but the king, and the dog and the hawk and the deer, all went off to sleep, and never woke again for 700 years, when they were awoke by the arrival of the chahr yar, the four friends of the Prophet -- i.e. Omar, Osman, Abubakr, and Ali, who, repeating the Muhammedan creed, at once woke the sleepers. The latter got up, repeated the creed, and then fell asleep again, and there they still remain. In spring 1886 held Major Charles Edward YATE (1888: 155-156) lighted candles between the palings of a wooden screen (On 26th October 1957 noted LINDBERG 1958: 121 a trunk) which debarred nearer approach to the sleepers and was shown … some cloths on the floor, apparently a rough common sheet with a dark-coloured fringed cloth above it, which was said to cover the sleepers … Holding the candles to the right, we could see indistinctly something looking like dried bodies of some anmals propped up against the wall. They were very small. The first, said to be the dog, was about a foot a foot in height, and the deer a few inches higher [note 11], but it was impossible to say in such light which animals they were … CAVE CLIMATE: A temperature of 17°C at the entrance was measured on 26th October 1957 (LINDBERG 1958: 121). CAVE LIFE: LINDBERG (1958: 121) observed Lepidoptera (Apopestes?) visible on the topmost part of the upper room's ceiling -- difficult to bag. without catching a deer on the way home. On arrival at the cave, not only the original six friends and the shepherd, but the king, and the dog and the hawk and the deer, all went off to sleep, and never woke again for 700 years, when they were awoke by the arrival of the chahr yar, the four friends of the Prophet -- i.e. Omar, Osman, Abubakr, and Ali, who, repeating the Muhammedan creed, at once woke the sleepers. The latter got up, repeated the creed, and then fell asleep again, and there they still remain. In spring 1886 held Major Charles Edward YATE (1888: 155-156) lighted candles between the palings of a wooden screen (On 26th October 1957 noted LINDBERG 1958: 121 a trunk) which debarred nearer approach to the sleepers and was shown … some cloths on the floor, apparently a rough common sheet with a dark-coloured fringed cloth above it, which was said to cover the sleepers … Holding the candles to the right, we could see indistinctly something looking like dried bodies of some an without catching a deer on the way home. On arrival at the cave, not only the original six friends and the shepherd, but the king, and the dog and the hawk and the deer, all went off to sleep, and never woke again for 700 years, when they were awoke by the arrival of the chahr yar, the four friends of the Prophet -- i.e. Omar, Osman, Abubakr, and Ali, who, repeating the Muhammedan creed, at once woke the sleepers. The latter got up, repeated the creed, and then fell asleep again, and there they still remain. In spring 1886 held Major Charles Edward YATE (1888: 155-156) lighted candles between the palings of a wooden screen (On 26th October 1957 noted LINDBERG 1958: 121 a trunk) which debarred nearer approach to the sleepers and was shown … some cloths on the floor, apparently a rough common sheet with a dark-coloured fringed cloth above it, which was said to cover the sleepers … Holding the candles to the right, we could see indistinctly something looking like dried bodies of some an without catching a deer on the way home. On arrival at the cave, not only the original six friends and the shepherd, but the king, and the dog and the hawk and the deer, all went off to sleep, and never woke again for 700 years, when they were awoke by the arrival of the chahr yar, the four friends of the Prophet -- i.e. Omar, Osman, Abubakr, and Ali, who, repeating the Muhammedan creed, at once woke the sleepers. The latter got up, repeated the creed, and then fell asleep again, and there they still remain. In spring 1886 held Major Charles Edward YATE (1888: 155-156) lighted candles between the palings of a wooden screen (On 26th October 1957 noted LINDBERG 1958: 121 a trunk) which debarred nearer approach to the sleepers and was shown … some cloths on the floor, apparently a rough common sheet with a dark-coloured fringed cloth above it, which was said to cover the sleepers … Holding the candles to the right, we could see indistinctly something looking like dried bodies of some anmals propped up against the wall. They were very small. The first, said to be the dog, was about a foot a foot in height, and the deer a few inches higher [note 11], but it was impossible to say in such light which animals they were … CAVE CLIMATE: A temperature of 17°C at the entrance was measured on 26th October 1957 (LINDBERG 1958: 121). CAVE LIFE: LINDBERG (1958: 121) observed Lepidoptera (Apopestes?) visible on the topmost part of the upper room's ceiling -- difficult to bag.