Abstract

In this article a philosophical interpretation of the problem of sacredness of the ‘Ukasha Ata well’ is undertaken. At first, the concept of ‘sacredness’ and its specific meaning in the methodology of religious studies are reviewed. The sacredness of the well of Ukasha Ata is presented in the paper in two main aspects: firstly, through the analysis of the personal essence of Ukasha Ata, his biography, his role in Islam and society; secondly, through the identification of the specific historical content of the image of the ‘well’ as a whole and its phenomenological status within the sacred space. The study is primarily based on ethnographic sources reflecting the perceptions of Ukasha Ata and his well. The main emphasis is placed on religious and apologetic views that show the sacredness of this phenomenon in the popular consciousness, as well as reveal Ukasha Ata and its well as value reference points. Due to the lack of empirical natural-scientific data, the methodological basis of the study relies mainly on narrative sources and religious-philosophical concepts in which the worldview of Islam occupies a central place. At the same time, the priority for the authors remains the analysis of problems from the point of view of rational and philosophical understanding. The article, relying on public opinion and ethnographic data as an empirical basis, as well as the interpretation of the problem of Ukasha Ata well in the context of integrative cognition, offers an examination of the research results from various perspectives, among which are: ambivalent dissonance; demystification and scepticism of free thinking;  axiological analysis - reassessment of sacred values; national mentality and cultural code; as well as deconstruction (psychoanalytic approach); pragmatic reconstruction (consideration of the sacred as a functional construct of truth) and linguistic philosophy.

Keywords: sacredness, well, philosophy, Islam, mysticism-mythology, national identity.