Finally, the famous Ferghana Valley
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An early morning start brought us to the airport in Bukhara. |  |
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A short, 45 minute flight took us to Ferghana
City in the lush Ferghana
Valley, where we arrived at the exclusive VIP section of the airport. Amarn Alangsyah of
Malaysia leads the way off the charter flight.
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Namangan |
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The delegation immediately proceeded overland
almost two hour to the
Central Mosque of Namangan.
There local ladies greeted women of the tour group with open arms.
There Shaykh Nazim was invited to the give the khutba at the area's largest Ahl as-Sunna Mosque. Members of a nearby Wahabi Mosque were nowhere to be seen. |
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Hafez Sahib greets local ulama at the mosque, while the rest of the delegation queues for refreshment. |  |
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Shaykh Nazim makes use of the traditional wudu facility then relaxes in the shade of the mosque courtyard... |  |
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.. and speaks at length with a Namangan alim. |  |
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Shaykh Hisham muses with Bahauddin before joining sunnah prayers. |  |
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Salat al-Jumu`ah |
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Thousands attended Salat al-Jumu`ah that day, and the people seemed to stream in non-stop until the prayer began. There were two floors to the mosque, as well as prayer space in the courtyard and on the balconies. |  |
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The sheer number of people was not made clear until the delegation attempted to leave and was overtaken by the mass. |  |
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Thousands of eager congregation-prayer attendees attempt to see the shaykh as he leaves the courtyard. |  |
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Return to Ferghana |
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While the officials left for lunch with the governor of Namangan, the 100 murids boarded the buses and took lunch at a nearby restaurant, reserved exclusively for us. |  |
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Ali Rahok and Mr. Joyosuparto (Indonesia) enjoy the feast and traditional music. |  |
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Abdullah of Grenoble, France, poses with the
restaurant staff.
As we traveled from Namangan to Ferghana city, the beauty of the infamous Ferghana valley became apparent. |
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Plentious waterways whose source is the Syr Darya river, irrigate fields and orchards lush with produce and other harvests. |  |
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Weary from the long bus trip, delegates were happy to conclude the evening with 'Isha prayer, conducted in the open air in front of the hotel, and a touching talk from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim. |  |
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Since most of his lectures had been in Turkish, directed as they were for the Uzbek people, Shaykh Nazim now spoke in English on the importance of this journey and our journey through this ancient land. |
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Finally, more people came to take initiation with the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Order. |  |
 April
12 |
April
14 |
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