Köçümkulkïzï and Waugh argue that "there is a syncretism between pre-Islamic religious tradition and Islamic norms, a fact which explains some of the distinctive features of Central Asian Islamic practice." Further they state: "It is difficult for most Central Asians today to distinguish today between that which is Islamic and that which is shamanic or non-Islamic." To fill out this argument they discuss shamanism, the Yasawi and Naqshbandi Sufi orders, formal/orthodox Islam of historic Bukhara and Samarqand, and sacred sites (mostly in Kyrgyzstan). Among the sacred sites they mention and provide photos of petroglyphs, balbals, burial sites, trees (some with strips of cloth and others with bones), and cairns/oboos. Other than mosques located nearby some of these sites and the presence of Arabic writing, it is unclear the relationship of these sites to Islam. The last example of sycretism cited is the Gur-i Amir Mausoleum in Samarqand, Uzbekistan about which the author's state, "a pole with a horse tail has been erected over one of the graves in the interior, a feature characteristic of oboo ritual sites in other regions of Central Asia which were not influenced by Islam. " Other interesting quotes are as follows:
The oral epics include many Islamic elements such as worshipping at a shrine; going on the "hajj" (in one of the versions of the epic Manas, Manas goes on the pilgrimage to Mecca); use of Sufi saints' names as spiritual ancestors, etc. In Manas, one of the war cries is "Baabedin," that is Baha ad-Din Naqshband.
Outside observers often have noted that some of the formal rituals of Islam seem to be lacking in Central Asia (for example, in part due to the suppression of religion under the Soviet regime, few pray five times a day). However Islam is present at major formal occasions, in rituals or rites of passage such as funerals, circumcision, marriage, and also at the holy month of Ramadan. It is common for men when they get older (after sixty) to begin praying five times a day.Contents: Dispersed Shamanism in North Asia; Sufism and the Spread of Islam Amongst the Peoples of Central Asia; "Formal" Islamic Practice in Central Asia; Central Asian shrines.
Cross References: Akhmedov (2003).
Descriptors: 2000s, burial, CA studies, e-article, e-content, Gur-i Amir, history, K, photos, SHRINES, SITES, syncretism, W, wishing trees.
