HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS OF PILGRIMAGE TOPONYMS: THE CASE OF BUKHARA AND ENGLAND
Abstract
This paper investigates the historical, cultural, and semiotic dimensions of pilgrimage toponyms in Uzbekistan and England, focusing on six representative sites: Yusuf Hamadoniy, Fayzobod, and Chor Bakr in Bukhara, alongside St Winefride’s Well, Canterbury Cathedral, and Stonehenge in England. Drawing on historical records, linguistic analysis, and cognitive onomastics, the study examines how sacred place names encode spiritual authority, moral pedagogy, and collective memory within their respective religious traditions. In Bukhara, Islamic toponyms reflect Sufi lineages, divine blessing, and ancestral sanctity, integrating moral and educational dimensions into the spatial landscape. In England, Christian toponyms intertwine historical events, saintly narratives, and natural features, demonstrating how medieval and prehistoric sites acquire enduring sacred and symbolic significance. By comparing Islamic and Christian naming practices, the research highlights the capacity of toponyms to preserve spiritual heritage, mediate between temporal and eternal domains, and articulate cultural identity across linguistic, historical, and geographic contexts.
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