In June 1941, Sharaf Rashidov was preparing to defend his thesis at Samarkand State University, combining his studies with work as an editor in the regional newspaper Lenin Yuli. The last significant journalistic action in which he participated literally on the eve of the war was the opening of the tomb of the Timurids at Gur-Emir.
OPENING OF TAMERLANE'S TOMB
The Soviet government decided to open the graves of Tamerlane (also known as Timur or Amir Temur) and his descendants in order to study their remains and recreate the appearance of the conqueror. However, religious people were categorically against such sacrilege. As one of the arguments, they cited the words that were inscribed on the tombstones in Gur-Emir: "There were great ones before us and there will be great ones after us. If someone ascends above others, disturbs the ashes of their ancestors, let a terrible punishment befall them."
But Stalin convinced the Uzbek government that it was necessary to open Timur's tomb.
The opening was scheduled for the second half of June 1941. The group of researchers that was to carry out this action included academician Kara-Niyazov, sculptor Gerasimov, orientalist Semenov, writer Sadriddin Aini, cinematographer Malik Kayumov and others — there were about ten people in the group.
But it turned out there were many more of those who wanted to get into the famous tomb. Among them was 23-year-old Sharaf Rashidov, who came to the tomb to cover this event in the newspaper. It was considered very important, and as a journalist he aspired to get into the mausoleum.
"I WAS AMONG THE TECHNICAL WORKERS WHO WERE INSIDE THE TOMB. EVEN THE TOP OFFICIALS OF UZBEKISTAN COULD ENTER THERE FOR ONLY A FEW MINUTES. BUT A JOURNALIST FRIEND, THE EDITOR OF A LOCAL NEWSPAPER, BEGGED ME TO TAKE HIM AS MY ASSISTANT, SO THAT HE COULD PEEP AT WHAT WAS GOING ON. IT WAS SHARAF RASHIDOV," RECALLED CAMERA OPERATOR MALIK KAYUMOV.
Timur’s Prophecy about the Beginning of the War
Tamerlane's tomb was opened on 21 June 1941. The operation was accompanied by a series of events that would later be considered mystical: the crew's winches broke occasionally, the lights went out several times and, according to Malik Kayumov, mysterious old men came to him to warn the expedition with words from an ancient book: "Do not touch the ashes of the great Timur, otherwise war will begin."
A leg bone with a large knob in the kneecap was found in the burial — this was the first proof that Tamerlane, who had limped during his lifetime, was really buried in the tomb.
ON 22 JUNE 1941, ALL THE COUNTRY'S RADIO STATIONS ANNOUNCED THE INVASION OF NAZI GERMANY INTO THE TERRITORY OF THE SOVIET UNION, AND THE PEOPLE ASSOCIATED THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR WITH THE OPENING OF TAMERLANE'S TOMB. THAT WAS HOW SHARAF RASHIDOV WITNESSED AN EXPEDITION THAT MANY WOULD CONSIDER A MYSTICAL REASON FOR THE OUTBREAK OF THE SOVIET-GERMAN WAR.
Sharaf Rashidov's article on the opening of the tomb was never published — a general mobilisation began, students and part of the teaching staff of the university were sent to the front. After the war Sharaf Rashidov never spoke on this topic.
