MYUSK DZHAMI (THE MUSK MOSQUE)
(THE LEGEND FROM ESKI KYRYM)
When the rain is over, Crimean Tatars in Eski Kyrym city usually go to the ruins of Myusk Dzhami to inhale the fragrance of musk and talk about the past. They want to remember Yusuf, who built the mosque.
When did Yusuf live? Who knows when. Maybe, even when Eski Kyrym city was called Solhat.
Then the city was in fountains everywhere, the long caravans were moved on the streets, and a hundred hotels opened the gates for people passing the city. The rich persons were going through the market, and the beggars, who bowed them low gratefully caught the thrown coin.
- Let Allah thank you, my lord.
However, there was one who didn’t pick up the abandoned and leaning proudly was holding his head. Though he was a porter of weights.
Calluses on hands didn’t make the soul dirty.
Let the name of Allah be blessed!
The porter Yusuf was not afraid to tell the truth to rich and poor people. Because time is a sieve, everything would flow through it – the poverty and wealth.
- The rich people, said Yusuf, they have palaces and gold, goods and herds, but their conscience was stolen by someone. There is no heart for the poor people. The mosque would be destroyed, its arch will collapse soon. Please, share a part of your money.
- It would be really good, so the poor people thought, but the rich became angry.
- Who are you to teach? If you were rich, we’d look at you. The tears rolled from Yusuf eyes, and he looked up at the sky. The God's angel was floating across the sky.
So, Yusuf said to the angel:
- I want to have a lot of gold to build a new mosque and to help to those who in need. I want to be richer than all.
The angel claimed Yusuf’s thought of the heart above the stars and the world. The evil people wanted to throw him into the abyss of Argamysh forest. One could find many human bones there, at the bottom, unless there was a bottom.
Yusuf hurried away from them to the open square. Suddenly, one caravan has stopped in the square, because it’s camel driver was died. It was necessary to replace him.
- Maybe you'll be able to drive the camel, - said the owner of the caravan.
- Maybe, I could do that, - said Yusuf, who was hired as a camel driver.
And he went with a caravan to the river Indole, to the Indus.
Everyone heard about that country!
The radiant diamond was born there in the rocks. A precious pearl lived at the bottom of the sea; one could carry fabric from the snowy mountains lighter than web, and grass roots were drinking flavor and poison from the land.
Yusuf spent many years in that country. He was coming down from the mountains into the valleys and up into the mountains again.
The angel blessed his way. The owner’s wealth was growing, but Yusuf remained a poor man.
When someone’s hand is not sticky, it doesn’t stick the dirt and gold.
The owner wondered: - Where could I find such person?
Once Yusuf brought a bag of diamonds, the owner has never seen. He didn’t take anyone for himself.
So the owner thought about his son, whom he knew only by deception, and told to his relatives:
- You, hear, if I die, Yusuf will take my wealth, not my son.
He died soon. It happened so. Today is alive and tomorrow is dead.
It wasn’t yesterday, it came today.
So Yusuf became richer than all the merchants of the city.
It was Friday, when his caravan approached to Solhat. The thousand camels went one after the other.
And no one thought that it was Yusuf’s caravan. The locals haven’t recognized him when he came to the mosque. They even didn’t guess.
Then he said by himself:
- That's fallen arch.
People were silent.
Sometimes you silent, when you think that it would be a shame – you silent too.
So, Yusuf thought and said:
- Let’s give up a part of the wealth! Why not?
Solhat city’s lords cried:
- Give it, if you have!
Yusuf grinned.
- Yusuf promised to do so.
Then people thought, - whether he was Yusuf.
The miracles were happened.
The next day, hundreds of workers came to the area where the mosque was, to break down the old walls.
- They were sent by Yusuf aga.
And, according to Yusuf, they began to haul on all sides milk stone, ivory and the golden tiles.
- There wasn’t such a mosque in Crimea, - the people said. Yusuf was called the father of righteous. Especially, when they heard that the ship with musk came to Kefe city. He ordered to throw fragrant powder into the masonry walls of a new mosque.
- During the rain, the steam would rise from the earth to the sky together with the fragrance from background of Myusk Dzhami.
It took two winters, and the mosque was ready to the holiday of sacrifice - Kurban Bayram.
The two white tower of minarets went by the sky, the gleaming golden slopes of roofs, porphyry belts were running along the arches.
- Abdul Gazi Yusuf, Yusuf, the father of the righteous, let him come to bring the first sacrifice!
Yusuf slained sacrificial lamb and gave it to the poorest porter.
- So Yusuf was, when he asked the angel of the wealth to build a mosque.
Yusuf looked at the sky. A white cloud floated, stood over mosque and showered the earth with a diamond rain.
Then the fragrance of musk rose from the foot of the mosque.
And the people fell on their knees in front of Yusuf.
- Yusuf, you deserve to be the lord of Solhat.
But Yusuf shook his head.
- The power is the gap between people.
He stood forever with the poor people. Giving everything again back, he became a poor man.
The people forgot about the khans and lords, but not Yusuf.
The Crimean Tatars, after the rain, in Crimea, are going to the old ruins of Myusk Dzhami, to inhale the fragrance of musk. They always remember about righteous Yusuf.