The Lyabi Khauz Ensemble - The Kukeldash Madrasah
- Impact of Nadir Divan-begi
- Historical background
- The Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah
- The Khanaka of Nadir Divan-begi
- The story
- The pond
Bukhara is one of the oldest cities of Central Asia. Nevertheless,
most of intact historic buildings in this city belong to
period of the late Middle Ages. Only numerous archaeological
excavations in the 20-th century revealed thick cultural layers with
traces of ancient settlements in location of the present-day Bukhara.
In archaeological trenches at depth of 20 meters, archaeologists discovered
the remnants of dwellings, public buildings, and fortifications. They
evaluated age of these historical structures on basis of age of numerous
archeological finds: ceramic pottery, fireplaces,
coins with images and inscriptions, antique jewellery,
artisans' tools, and the like. The most deep-seated layers, which belong
to the period of the antiquity from the 3-d century B.C. until the 4-th
century A.D., are also most thick. The upper layers belong to period from
the 9-th century until the beginning of the 20-th century. This proves that
Bukhara never changed its location but grew vertically over at least 2,500
years.
The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of the Persian Empire.
The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of
Aryan immigration into the region. Iranian Soghdians inhabited the
area and some centuries later the
Persian language became dominant among them.
Encyclopedia Iranica mentions that the name Bukhara is possibly derived from
the Soghdian "Buxarak" ("lucky place"). Another possible
source of the name Bukhara may be from "Vihara", the Sanskrit word
for monastery and may be linked to the pre-Islamic presence of
Buddhism (especially strong at the time of the Kushan empire)
originating from the Indian sub-continent.
Origin
Admittedly, the city was founded in 500 BC in the area now
called the Ark. However, the Bukhara oasis had been inhabitated long
before, since 3000 BC an advanced Bronze Age culture called the
Sapalli Culture thrived at such sites as Varakhsha, Vardan,
Paykend, and Ramitan. In 1500 BC a combination of factors:
climatic drying, iron technology, and the arrival of Indo-Iraninan
nomads triggered a population shift to the oasis from outlying areas. By
1000 BC, two groups, the Sapalli and
Aryan people, had merged into a distinctive culture. Around 800 BC this
new culture called
Soghdian flourished in city-states along the Zaravshan Valley. By
this time, three small fortified settlements at the place of present-day
Bukhara had been built. By 500 BC these settlements had grown together and
were enclosed by a wall, thus Bukhara has born.
Bukhara entered history in about 500 BC as vassal state in the Persian
Empire. Later it passed into the hands of the
Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, the
Greco-Bactrians, and the Kushan Empire.
During this time Bukhara functioned as a cult center for the worship of
Sin (Nanna also called
Suen) the god of the moon. The two chief seats of Sin's worship
were Ur in the south and Harran to the north of Mesopotamia. The cult of Sin
spread to other centers, and temples of the moon-god are found in all the
large cities of Babylonia and Assyria. The moon-god is by excellence the
god of nomadic peoples, since the moon is their guide and protector at
night when they undertake their wanderings. Therefore, the cult most likely
arose at the place of Bukhara from the very outset of the first settlements
because of inter-nomadic connections.
Approximately once a lunar cycle, the inhabitants of the Zaravshan Valley
exchanged their old
idols of Sin for new ones. The trade festival took place in front of the
Moon (Mokh) Temple. This festival was important in assuring the fertility
of land on which all inhabitants of the
delta of Zaravshan depended. Because of the trade festivals, Bukhara
became a
center of commerce.
As trade picked up along the Silk Road, the already prosperous city
of Bukhara then became the logical choice for a market. The
silk trade itself created a growth boom in the city, which ended around
350 BC. After the fall of the Kushan Empire Bukhara passed into the hands of
Hua tribes from Mongolia and entered a steep decline.
In the period of the 6-th and 7-th centuries A.D. of feudal Sogdiana there
was an active
process of town formation, when ancient settlements surrounding Bukhara
became the towns of
Varakhsha, Vardanzi (Vardan), Ramish (Ramitan),
Kermine, Paikend. Archaeological excavations of the 20-th
century in Varakhsha discovered a
palace of the Bukhar Khudas with exquisite mural paintings, purely
comparable with the famous
murals of 5th-8th century A.D. in Pendjikent (western Tajikistan).
All these towns had more or less similar structural pattern including ark
- citadel,
shakhristan – the city itself, and necropolis beyond the town limits with
crypts. The purpose of these crypts was the accommodation of ceramic urns
with the bones of the dead. Two crossing main streets divided the
rectangular shakhristan into four sections. These streets led to gates
opening out to four sides of the world. This traditional layout of plains
cities reflected
ancient eastern worldview, symbolizing structure of the Universe and
order of things in nature and society.
Bukhara of the early feudal period also followed this pattern of
development. It sprawled over an area of 40 hectares (98,8 acres). Since
then in the north western (superior) section of Bukhara stands out the Ark -
the palace fortress of local rulers - Bukhar Khudas. Beyond walls of the
Ark and the shakhristan sprawled business quarters and artisan's areas - the
rabad, with its residential neighborhoods of adobe-clay houses. Bukhara was
one of main crossroads of ancient trade paths that linked China, Iran and
India. The trade was a main factor, which stimulated the development of the
rabad.
At the western gates of citadel were divans - state offices, and palaces of
nobles.
Christian temple stood at the eastern gates. Prior to the Arabic Invasion
Bukhara was a stronghold for followers of
persecuted religious movements within the theocratic Sassanian Empire,
Manicheans and Nestorian Christianity.
When the Islamic armies arrived in 650 A.D., they found a
multiethnic, multireligous and decentralized collection of petty feudal
principalities. The lack of any central power meant that while the Arabs
could gain an easy victory in battle or raiding they could never hold
territory in central Asia. In fact Bukhara along with other cities in the
Sogdian federation played the
Caliphate
against the Tang Empire. The Arabs did not truly conquer Bukhara
until after the
Battle of Talas in 751 A.D.. The vassalage of Bukhara from the
Caliphate lasted even after the Samanid dynasty – the local dynasty
of rulers - seized power in the region at the end of the 9th century.
Islam became the dominant religion at this time and remains the dominant
religion to the present day. Until soviet times Bukhara was one of major
cultural and religious centers of the
Islamic world. Its honorable name was "The dome of Islam".
Many prominent people lived in Bukhara in the past. Most famous of them are:
Abu Ali ibn Sina (980-1037) - physician and person of encyclopedic
knowledge;
Balyami and Narshakhi (10th century) - the outstanding historians;
al-Utobi (11th century); Abu Abdullah Mukhammad ibn Akhmad al-Bukhari
(died in 1021);
Ismatallah Bukhari (1365-1426) - the illustrious poet; Mualan Abd al-Khakim
(16 century) - the renowned physician;
Karri Rakhmatallah Bukhari (died in 1893) - the specialist in study of
literature;
Mirza Abd al-Aziz Bukhari (the end the 18th century - the beginning of
the 19th century) -
the calligrapher.
At the third decade of the 16-th century Bukhara became a capital of
Bukhara khanate, under the government of
Shaibanid dynasty. The whole period when this dynasty was in power is
about one century since the beginning of the 16-th century. Shaibanids
carried out many reforms during this time. In particular they instituted a
number of measures to better system of the public education. Each
residential quarter (neighborhood and unit of local self-government also "mahalla")
of Bukhara had a hedge-school. Prosperous families provided home education
to their children. Children started elementary education from six years.
After two years they could be taken to a madrasah. The course of
education in a madrasah consisted of three steps in sevens years. Hence,
whole course of education in madrasah lasted 21 years. The pupils studied
theological sciences, arithmetic, jurisprudence, logic, music and poetry.
Such way of education had a positive influence upon development and wide
circulation of the Uzbek language, and also on development of
literature, science, art and skills.
To that period of Bukhara history belong the new books on history and
geography - such as "Khaft iklim" - "Seven Climates" by
Amin Akhmed Razi, a native of Iran. Bukhara of the 16-th century was the
centre of attraction for skilled craftsman of
calligraphy and miniature-paintings, such experts were Sultan Ah
Maskhadi,
Makhmud ibn Iskhak ash-Shakhibi, the theoretician in calligraphy
Dervish Mukhammad Buklian, Maulyan Makhmud Muzakhkhib
and Jelaleddin Yusuf. Among famous poets and theologians who worked
in Bukara of that time were
Mushfiki, Nizami Muamaya, Muhammad Amin Zakhid.
Maulan Abd-al Khakim was the most famous of many physicians who practiced
in Bikhara and Khanate in the 16-th century.
At the time of government of Abd al-Aziz-khan (1533-1550) he
established the library "having no equal" the world over. The prominent
scholar
Sultan Mirak Munshi worked there since 1540. The gifted calligrapher,
Mir Abid Khusaini, well-wielded mast-a liq
and raikhamhandwritings, the brilliant miniature-painter and
master of encrustation was the librarian (kitabdar) of Bukhara
library. This information is retained by Khasan Nisari
in his biographic work ("tazkira") "Muzakhir al-Akhbab" - "Remembrance
of friends".
In the 19-th century, Bukhara still played a significant role in regional
cultural and religious life at the region. Russian secret messenger P. I.
Demerzon testifies in his famous "Memorandum" (1834-35), "The
madrasahs in Bukhara are famed throughout Turkistan. Students come here from
Khiva,
Kokand, Gissar and even from
Samarkand and also from many Tatar regions ... There are
about 60 madrasahs in Bukhara that are more or less successful." Demerzon
arrived to Bukhara in 1834 under the guise of Tatar mullah Jafar, it enabled
him to explore freely the city.
The real subjects of curiosity in Bukhara are
fortified walls and gates.
The section of the city wall with huge breaches in the brickwork is the good
sample of
fortification architecture. It is also an important element in the
topography of the city, one that is closely associated with the history of
Bukhara.
Narshakhi - Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Narshakhi of Bukhara wrote the
history of Bukhara and presented it to the Samanid ruler Nuh ibn Nasr
in 943 A.D. (A.H. 332) - wrote that the first appearance of walls around the
shakhristan in Bukhara dated back to the 8th century A.D. That was the
time of the reign of the
Tahirid - local ruling dynasty of governors under Arabs. The intensive
development of the prospering city in the 9-th century was the reason of the
new rampart construction (849-50), which embraced together the Ark citadel
and the shakhristan. At the first decades of the 12th century, under the
reign of
Arslan-khan (1102-1130) of the Karakhanid dynasty, the walls were
reinforced by adobe clay fortifications.
One more new rampart made of baked brick appeared around Bukhara in 1164-65
at the time of reign of
Ma'sud Klich Tamgach-khan. In 1207-08 when Bukhara was a part of
kingdom of Khorezmshakh Muhammad both ramparts were reconstructed. Then
soon, in 1220 they were destroyed during the siege by
Mongol hordes of Genghis-khan.
Al-Bakuvi - writer of the 15-th century - reports on two ramparts around
Bukhara restored at the middle of the 13-th century. The external rampart
encircled area of 5184 square km. The internal wall gathered round an area
of 36 square km with Ark citadel at the center. The author stressed, "...
and within this space there was no a single plot of waste land or ruined
building."
Abd al-Aziz-khan I - the khan of Shaibanid dynasty - built new
fortifications around the suburbs of Bukhara during the period from 1540
until 1549.
Researchers identified the names of eleven of city gates (five of
which were in the extant area of the wall). Only two of them are intact now: Talipach gate in the
north and Karakul gate
in the south-west. The date of their building is the end of the 16th
century. The
Sheikh Djalal gate in the south recently went to ruin.
The
ancient fortress Ark (Bukhara
map) is the initial core of the city, the
oldest monument in Bukhara and formerly residence of the local rulers.
The first settlements appeared at this place at least at the 3d century B.C.
Design and architecture
Over the centuries, destroyed structures at the site of the Ark have formed
an artificial hill 18 meters (59 feet) high. Last rulers of Bukhara have
built up the top layer with constructions, part of which we can see today.
On a plan the shape of the Ark looks like irregular rectangle (perimeter of
the walls – 789,60 metres (863,52 yards); area – 3,96 hectares (9,79
acres)).
The gateway (the monumental entrance and doomed premises behind it
- “darvazkhana”) of the Ark – rebuilt in the 18-th century,
conceivably, by
emir Shahmurad (1785 - 1800) - facing west to the Registan square
in form of massive portal with gallery, fringed by double towers.
Inside the fortress leads the ascensional passage ("dalon").
Along the sides of the passage, the rooms for water and sand and prison
cells are situated; twelve niches at the left and thirteen at the right of
passage.
Some rooms on the left have the doors. These rooms formerly were prison
cells ("obhona"). However, even under these cells there was
dungeon ("qanahona") for most dangerous prisoners. The domed niche
("dalona") at half way along the passage, at the left, in pre-Islamic
era was the
worship place of Zurahustrian who used to put out a candle here in honor
of
Siavush. Here, under foundation, by the legend lie his remains.
Atop, opposite the passage dominates the gallery of
the Grand mosque. It has
a lay-out of big quarter mosque with one prayer room, framed with the
portico on wooden pillars –
a gallery (eivan/ iwan/ ivan,ivvan) over its three sides. The period of
the Bukhara emirate under the government of
emir Shahmurad (1785 - 1800) was the time of relative stability and
prosperity. Emir Shahmurad nicknamed "sinless emir" carried out
repairs of many of old structures in the Ark and built up new ones.
Therefore, in all probability, the earlier building of Grand mosque on that
place was rebuilt and reshaped during the government of emir Shahmurad. The
building of
Grand mosque has the signs of later reconstructions (made, admittedly, at
the close of the 19-th century).
Once - must be under the government of emir Nasrulla (1826-1860) who
had a nickname "butcher", "emir qassab" because of his cruelty
-
a big leathern lash, been hanged on one of the wall of Ark, emblematized
emir's power.
Although, most buildings, especially wooden framework, perished in the fire
in 1920, the complex still have many curiosities like extant
Ulduhtaron Mosque, famous because of legend of 40 murdered girls,
which were thrown into the well.
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Narshakhi (899-960 A.D.) in his book "Tarikh-i
Bukhara" - "The history of Bukhara" - wrote: when Bidun
Bukhar Khudah -
Bukhara ruler - built the fortress, it immediately went to ruin. However
hard he tried to restore, the fortress did not endure." This is the first
written mentioning about the
Ark (Kuhindis). When Bidun Bukhar Khudah took council with wise men, they
gave him good advice to build the fortress
on seven pillars situated like stars in the Great Bear constellation.
Legend
According to the Persian epic poem Shahnameh the city was founded by
King Siavush son of
Shah Kavakhous, one of the mythical Iranian Shahs of the Pishdak
Dynasty. As the legend goes Siavush was accused of seducing his mother
by the Vizers. To test his innocence he underwent trial by fire. After
emerging unscathed from the flames he
crossed the Oxus into Turan. The king of Samarkand Afrosiab, gave
Siavash his daughter
Ferganiza and a vassal kingdom in the Bukhara Oasis. There he
built the Ark, and surrounding city. Some years later Siavash was again
accused of seducing his father-in-law's wife. Afrasiab killed Siavash, and
buried his head under the
Haysellers Gate. In retaliation Shah Kavakhous attacked Turan killed
Afrasiab, and took his son and daughter-in-law back to Persia.
Also they say that before Afrasiab gave Siavush his daughter he stipulated
that pretender should be able to build a fortress on
piece of land under an ox-hide. However Siavush was very ingenious. He
slit ox-hide into slender ribbons then he joined ends together and inside
this ring he later built the Ark.
The Registan square to the west of the Ark in the past was the
developed social center of the city with office blocks, palaces, mosques and
commercial sections of bazaar. There was also
hospital (dar ash-shifa) at the square, where, patients could
receive
potions (dori) and special food for treatment. The hospital had a
lay-out similar to madrasahs. It had wards for bed-patients, the dispensary
and the pharmacy. The hospital was also the training unit for physicians.
Opposite the Ark is situated the Bolo-khauz Complex
(on Bukhara mapBolo Khauz Mosque)
which is the only monument of the Registan square that survived
through the years. In the water of the pond one can see a reflection of the
colorfully painted eivan - a gallery with colonnade - and of the minaret.
The earliest part of this complex is the pond ("khauz") called "Bolo-khauz"
("children's pond") - one of the few remaining ponds surviving in the
city of Bukhara. Until the Soviet period there were many such ponds, which
were the city's principal source of water, but they were notorious for
spreading disease and were mostly cut off from water during the 1920s and
30s.
They say that Emir Shahmurad (1785 - 1800) built up the mosque for his in
public prayers, for he loved to be closer to his people.
The Samanid mausoleum
(on Bukhara mapSamonid’s
Mausoleum) is located not far away from the Ark citadel, in the
Samanid Park on the site of an ancient cemetery. This mausoleum,
one of the most esteemed sights of Central Asian architecture, was built in
the 9th (10th) century (between 892 and 943) by
Ismail Samani - the founder of the Samanid dynasty. This was the last
Persian dynasty to rule in Central Asia, which held the city in the 9th and
10th centuries. Ismail Samani built up the mausoleum in honor of his father
Achmed ibn Asad. Then the mausoleum became the family crypt: Ismail and,
according to an inscription above the entrance to the mausoleum, his
grandson were buried here.
Along the road leading from Samanid Park is situated another mausoleum -
Chashma-iy-Ayub(Job's well) (on Bukhara map
Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum). It is a compound structure, repeatedly
reconstructed during the period from the 14th till the 19th centuries. The
structure finally acquired the form of an elongated prism crowned with domes
of various forms covering several premises. A double conical dome, resting
on a cylindrical drum, marks location of the well.
The Bible story and the Legend
The Bible says: "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was
Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and
turned away from evil" (Job 1:1). Nobody knows where this land was;
therefore, it is quite possible that Job lived in area of modern Bukhara
city. The legend narrates that Job (Ayub) was walking over this place at the
time of severe drought. As local people, dying from thirst, begged him of
water, he struck the earth with his staff and instantly the healing water
spring appeared. The antique well still gives pure and tasty water. The
existence of the historical
monument having connection with the Bible content is a definite proof of
the prevalence of this Scripture in the area in the distant past.
In the same district, not far from the park is situated one of the most
interesting ensembles of Bukhara - "Kosh-Madrasah" (on Bukhara mapKosh
Madrasah Ensemble), which is typical of Bukhara. The word "Kosh" means
"paired" because two structures of the ensemble face one another across a
narrow street.
The sponsor of the Ensemble was Abdullah-khan II (1561-1598), the
most successful khan of Shaibanid dynasty. In 974 A.H. (1566-67) he
built up
the Modari-khan Madrasah in memory of
his mother (“Modari-khan” means “mother of khan”). The date of
construction is inserted in majolica inscription above the main entrance. As
to composition of structure, the madrasah has fairly standard layout
including a
dormitory, which consists of small cells (hudjras) around a courtyard,
public halls of a mosque and lecture-rooms (darskhana)
along both sides of front. The facade (peshtaq) of the madrasah has
gorgeous appearance because of multicolor brick mosaic.
Date of construction of the
Abdullah-khan Madrasah is between
1588-90 years. The madrasah has very colorful and festive look because of
variety of decorative methods. Chilled colors of majolica slabs: blue, white
and aquamarine are sparkling by the sunlight.
Unlike some madrasahs with blind wings of their fronts, the facades of the
Modari-khan Madrasah and the Abdullah-khan Madrasah have arched doorways to
the lecture-rooms from the street on ground floor and from loggias on second
floor. The Abdullah-khan Madrasah is one of three greatest madrasahs in
Bukhara after
Kukeldash and
Mir-i Arab.
The architectural monuments of the 16th - 17th centuries
Medieval Bukhara is a great phenomenon in architecture. The beginning of the
16th century was an epochal
period of unstable authority of the pioneering khans of Shaibanid
dynasty. The capital of young
Shaibanid state - in period between 1533-1539 under the government of
Ubaidullah-khan it became the Bukahara Khanate - was once and
again transfered from
Samarkand to Bukhara - from Bukhara to
Tashkent
- and back.
Nonetheless, this very time became an age of marvels of architectural
ingenuity. In initial three decades of the 16-th century was finished the
central ensemble of
Po-i Kalyan (Pa-i kalyan). In the first
half of the 16-th century were built wonderful quarter mosque
Balyand
and mosque-khanaka
Khoja Zain ad-Din. The
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband out-of-town
complex was initiated at the same period.
The Khoja Zain ad-Din Complex
The Khoja Zain ad-Din Complex (on
Bukhara mapKhodja Zaynuddin Complex),
is the characteristic ritual structure - mosque-khanaka - of the
first half of the 16-th century. Such structures often consist of a few
premises of various purposes (mosque itself,
khanaka (var. khana-gah), often madrasah, graveyard - mazar
- and the like).
The Khoja Zain ad-Din mosque-khanaka is situated on the verge of one of
the oldest intact ponds. The pond had the marble walls and the carved marble
spillway in the form of open
jaws of a dragon (adjarkho).
One of points of particular interest is the mazar - esteemed burial place
- of Khoja Turk (now controversially considered as the
burial place of Khoja Zayn ad-Din). It is made quite close to genuine
tradition of the Koran. According to this tradition even highest rulers
along with holy man must be buried in the open air instead of magnificent
mausoleums. The
headstone of Khoja Turk (sagana) is located in cramped courtyard
(hazira) with the brick wall and the gate. The mazar is marked by two
traditional poles (tug) with yak tails. Mausoleums of Bukhara were mainly
built at the time of
Timirid dynasty. Under the Shaibanid's reign the construction of
mausoleums was illicit. The rulers, which appeared after the Shaibanid
khans, have started to build mausoleums only at the close of the 17-th
century.
The Balyand Mosque
An excellent example of a quarter ritual center is the
Balyand Mosque (Bukhara
map) in the western part of old Bukhara. The mosque belongs
to the beginning of the 16-th century. It has a cube-shaped structure with
adjoining colonnade.
The Balyand Mosque is famous for its refined interior. Especially
the paneling made of hexahedral glazed tiles painted with gold, which goes
round the hall. The mosque took its name ("balyand" means "lofty")
because of raised stone bed, on which rests the construction.
One of the major ensembles in the center Bukhara is
Khoja-Gaukushan (on
Bukhara map Gaukushon Complex).
The madrasah was built in 1570 by order of Abdullah-khan II
(1561-1598). He came to power with the help of
Khoja Islam Juibariy - the powerful leader of local clan of Khoja(s).
This clan - often identified as "Juibariya". Abdullah-khan was a
disciple (murid) of Khoja Islam, therefore he always gave support to the
clan. He built many religious and civil installations for them.
Gaukushan means "one who kills bulls" because earlier there was a
slaughterhouse at that place. The
Gaukushan Madrasah was erected at the bifurcation of streets, it explains
its trapeziform. This, however, did not hinder the preservation of the
traditional courtyard layout.
In 1598 Khoja Sa'ad - called "Khoja Kalon" - "Great Khoja", the son
of Khoja Islam
- built new cathedral mosque, named
"Khoja Mosque" or "Khoja Kalon Mosque", with tall minaret close to the
Gaukushan Madrasah.
Juibariy Kalon Madrasah
This Madrasah is located in historical residential area of Bukhara -
Khauz-i-nau (New Pond). Construction of the madrasah, which wears
a famous name
Juibariy
Kalon (Great Juibar) (on
Bukhara map
Djuiboriy Kalon Madrasah), in Tadjik - Madrasayi Djuibor,
according to a legend, was sponsored by Oi-posho-bibi - a blind (odjis)
daughter of Djuibar ishan Khoja Sa'ad, nicknamed
Khoja Kalon (Great Khoja).
Read more ...
In front of the Madrasah there is a big khauz - Khauz-i-nau (New
Pond). This khauz had an ill fame. They told, that it urges people to
commit suicide (bong mesanad - "call").
Read more ...
The Faizabad Khanaka
In the former northeast outskirts of the old part of the city, is located
one of the most noble-looking monument in Bukhara - the
Faizabad Khanaka (Bukhara
map), built in 1598-99. People of the mosque were inhabitants
of residential quarter (neighborhood and unit of local self-government
also "mahalla") called "Shohy Ahsy". The primary purpose of the
mosque was to serve as a place for the
five daily prayers (masjid-y panchvakty), as well as for "collective"
prayers on Fridays (masjid-y jamihony). It was also a place for
ritualized dhikr ceremonies of Sufi, the liturgy of which often
include recitation, singing, instrumental music, dance, costumes, incense,
meditation, ecstasy, and trance. The edifice also had facilities for
temporary refuge of dervishes.
Eshon(s) (spiritual leaders at the head of a Muslim community in
Turkistan) of the mosque had high esteem over Bukhara. Therefore they
had multitude of followers (murids).
The construction of the mosque was financed by famed Sufi Mavlano
Poyanda-Muhammad Ahsy (Ahsyqety)-yj Fayzabody (died in 1601). He was the
founder of
Sufi centre known as Fayzabad. This clan of eshons, also known under the
name
Shohy Ahsy, retained an authority until Soviets came to power.
The edifice is made of baked bricks. Its layout is impressive and well
balanced: the spacious central hall is flanked on both sides by vaulted
galleries. The main portal's pylons, as well as the wall behind the mihrab ("mihrab"
- an Arabic word for the niche in the wall of a mosque, indicating the
direction of Mecca, toward which prayers are directed), contain three
tiers of cells, which was giving temporary refuge to dervishes. The cap of
the dome in an interior is decorated with an effective
two-color ganch fretwork of local technique named "chaspak".
Abd al-Azis-khan Madrasah (1652-1662)
(on
Bukhara mapAbdullaziskhan Madrasah) makes up an architectural ensemble with
Ulugbek Madrasah but is more luxurious
in its decor. The portal is distinguished for its height and
rich exterior ornamentation. The complete range of building techniques of
its time were applied in the courtyard and rooms, namely
carved tile and brick mosaic, relief majolica, marble carving, alabaster
murals and gilding.
As the legend tells, Abd al-Aziz-khan (1645-1680), the sixth khan of
Ashtarkhanid (Janid) dynasty (established in 1599) was a follower
(murid) of
Khalifa Hudoydod, as well as of other
famed eshon -
Mavlano Sharif. Both eshons struggled for khan's favor. The khan himself
had health problem. To his old age the disease made his body almost
completely paralyzed. Therefore, it seems to be true, that he desperately
needed of supernatural guidance. At least Khan's connection to Sufi Mavlano
Sharif explains a choice for the place of the Abd al-Azis-khan Madrasah
construction, which though locates on territory of
historical urban quarter Azizon, but nevertheless was constructed just at
the northern border of
quarter Mavlano Sharif. The tomb of Mavlano Sharif - the main
relic of historical quarter - was inside mausoleum, built nearby
mosque-khanaka. Mausoleum is kept safe.
Abd al-Azis-khan Madrasah became the last structure of such scale in
the Bukhara khanate. The wilting period for Bukhara ensued after the death
of Abd al-Azis-khan. Nevermore Bukhara was so rich and stable to fulfill
construction of such splendid structures as Abd al-Azis-khan Madrasah. For
example,
Madrasah of Tursunjon (1796-97) built up
at the end of relatively stable period (1758-1800) under emirs Danyal-biy
and his son
Shahmurad looks very ascetic without exterior decoration.
The choice of decoration means exhibits a a tendency of release of
pressure from religious bans of formal Islam. In terms of decoration the
madrasah follows to such prominent precursors as
Sher-Dor Madrasah in
Samarkand and
Nadir Divan-begi Madrasah in Bukhara.
Instead of modest geometrical ornamental patterns here were used more
complicated mythical elements such as phoenix birds and even dragonsns.
The color palette of decoration includes chrome, which imparts luster to
unusual appearance of madrasah.
"Po-i-Kalyan"
is a word-combination, which in Persian means "the foot of the Great".
This title was given to architectural complex (on
Bukhara mapPoi Kalyan Complex), which is located at the foot of the great minaret
Kalyan. The complex is unmatched in Bukhara, forming unique silhouette
of its historical center. The place where the complex is located remembers a
few completely ruined buildings in the past. In pre-Islamic era right here
was located the
central cathedral of fire-worshippers. Since 713 here, at the site south
of the Ark, several edifices of main cathedral mosque were built then razed,
restored after fires and wars, and moved from place to place. In 1127, the
Karakhanid ruler Arslan-khan fulfilled a construction of most significant
of past architecture ensembles at this place - the
cathedral mosque with the minaret. Greatness of these structures was so
amazing, that it made
Genghis-khan to consider mosque mistakenly to be khans' palace.
Nevertheless the building of mosque was not spared by the fire, and for many
years after the conflagration it was laying in ruins. All that remained
intact of former ensemble is the magnificent minaret Kalyan (Minara-yi-Kalyan).
The Kalyan minaret
The minaret is most famed part of the
ensemble, which dominates over historical center of the city in form of a
huge vertical pillar. The role of the minaret is largely for traditional and
decorative purposes - its dimension exceeds the bounds of the main function
of the minaret, which is to provide a vantage point from which the
muezzin can call out people to prayer. For this purpose it was enough to
ascend to a roof of mosque. This practice was common in initial years of
Islam. There were also cases when for this purpose Moslems used towers of
Roman sanctuaries, belfries of Christian churches, "fire-towers" of
fire-worshippers and other vertical structures. The word "minaret"
descends to
Arabic "manara" ("lighthouse", or more literally "a place where something
burn"). Probably an idea of minarets of Islam was adopted from
"fire-towers" or lighthouses of previous epochs. In some of the oldest
mosques, such as the Great mosque of Damascus, minarets originally served as
watchtowers illuminated by torches (hence the derivation of the word from
the
Arabic "nur", meaning "light").
The architect, whose name was simply Bako, entwined his name (as
well as the date of construction and the name of Arslan-khan) with
epigraphic ornaments of the Minaret. Local inhabitants believe that the
architect was buried somewhere among houses of the neighboring residential
quarter. Bako made a minaret in the form of a
circular-pillar brick tower, narrowing upwards, of 9 meters (29.53 feet)
diameter at the bottom, 6 meters (19.69 feet) overhead and 45.6 meters
(149.61 feet) high. There is a
brick spiral staircase that twists up inside around the pillar, leading
to the landing in
sixteen-arched rotunda - skylight, which based on a magnificent
stalactite cornice (sharafa).
After the death of Shaibani-khan in 1510 the most of local rulers (emirs
and sultans) recognized central government only partially.
The capital of the Shaibanid state was in Samarkand. In 1512 the
nephew of Shaibani-khan young prince Muizz ad-Din Abu-l Gazi
Ubaidullah became
sultan of Bukhara. He inherited the power from his father
Mahmud-sultan, who was the
cadet brother of Shaibani-khan and his faithful companion-in-arms. Till
1533
Ubaidullah-sultan was successful governor of Bukhara, when he was
enthroned as a khan of whole Shaibanid state -
khan of Maverannahr (Ma wara'u'n-nahr). In spite of this he refused to
move his residence to Samarkand - the capital of the State. Moreover he
later made Bukhare the capital of the Shaibanid state. After that the state
governed by
Ubaidullah (Ubaidulla) received new name - Bukhara khanate. Thus
Ubaidullah-khan (gov. 1533-1539) became the first khan of Bukhara
khanate. While Ubaidullah-khan was the khan of Maverannahr, his son
Abdul-Aziz-khan was the khan of Bukhara. They considered Bukhara as their
family lot. They were patriots of Bukhara, and therefore they constantly
were anxious for success of the city.
The fact that governor of Bukhara in 1514 built such grand mosque, which
could rival with the symbol of royal Samakand - the Bibi-khonim Mosque,
shows a tendency to make eventually
Bukhara the capital of the Shaibanid state. By the construction of Kalyan
Mosque Ubaidullah-sultan started formation of new capital, rather than to
fight for domination over Samarkand, which by the way has forever hostile
feeling to Shaibanids.
Peculiarity
Although Kalyan Mosque (Masjid-y kalyan) and Bibi-Khanym
Mosque of Samarkand are of the same type of building, they are different
in terms of art of building. 288
monumental pylons serve as a support for the multidomed roofing of the
galleries encircling the courtyard of Kalyan Mosque. The longitudinal axis
of the courtyard ends up with a portal to the main chamber (maksura) with a
cruciform hall, topped with a massive blue cupola on a mosaic drum. The
edifice keeps many architectural curiosities, for example, a hole in one of
domes. Through this hole one can see foundation of Kalyan Minaret. Then
moving back step by step, one can count all belts of brickwork of the
minaret to the rotunda.
The construction of
Mir-i-Arab Madrasah ( Miri Arab
Madrasah) is ascribed to Sheikh Abdullah Yamani of Yemen - called
Mir-i-Arab - the spiritual mentor of Ubaidullah-khan and his son
Abdul-Aziz-khan. Ubaidullah-khan waged permanent successful
war with Iran. At least three times his troops seized Herat. Each
of such plundering raids on Iran was accompanied by capture of great
many captives. They say that Ubaidullah-khan had invested money gained
from redemption of more than
three thousand Persian captives into construction of Mir-i-Arab Madrasah.
The war with Iran, heated up by ideas of holy war between two historical
branches of Islam (Shi'as and Sunni), was considered as piety. Persian
military man wore
turbans with 12 red stripes in honor of 12 Shi'a Imams. Therefore,
Turkic-speaking Sunnis gave them
contemptuous nickname "kizilbashi" (red-headed).
Ubaidullah-khan was very religious. He had been nurtured in high respect for
Islam in the
spirit of Sifism. His father named him in honor of prominent sheikh of
the 15-th century
Ubaidullah al-Ahrar (1404-1490), by origin from
Tashkent province.
The portal of Miri Arab Madrasah is situated on one axis with the
portal of the Kalyan Mosque. However, because of some lowering of the square
to the east it was necessary to raise a little an edifice of the madrasah on
a platform.
By the thirties of the 16-th century the time, when sovereigns erected
splendid mausoleums for themselves and for their relatives, was over. Khans
of Shaibanid dynasty were
standard-bearers of Koran traditions. The significance of religion was so
great that even such famed khan as
Ubaidullah was conveyed to earth close by his mentor in his madrasah. In
the middle of
the vault (gurhana) in Mir-i-Arab Madrasah is situated the wooden tomb
of Ubaidullah-khan. At his head is wrapped in the moulds his mentor -
Mir-i-Arab.
Muhammad Kasim, mudarris (a senior teacher) of the madrasah (died
in 1047
hijra) is also interred near by here.
Traditional covered bazaars and bathhousess
The intersections of main streets of medieval Bukhara served a purpose of
trade, that caused a construction there of
notable domed structures – taq(s) and tim(s). Passing by
Po-i Kalyan northwardly one can reach a place of ancient
four bazaars ("Chakhar suk" or "Chorsu"). There is situated the first of
such structures, called Chorsu or
Taq-i Zargaron ("zargaron" means "jeweler").
Taq-i Zargaron
According to Khafizi Tanysh, a chronicler of the 16-th century, in 1569-70
Taq-i Zargaron (on
Bukhara mapToki Zargaron Trading
Dome), the
taq of jewelers, is the largest of all existing ancient shopping malls in
Bukhara. Tag-i Zargaron once accommodated 36 shops and ateliers with all
inventory.
Tim Abdullakhan
A cowded street encumbered with caravanserais and rows of stalls once led to
the south from Taq-i Zargaron. The arcade
Tim Abdullah-khan (1577) (on
Bukhara map Tim Abdullakhan Trading
Dome) became the dominating structure at that street in the epoch of
Abdullah-khan II (1561-1598), the most successful khan of the Shaibanid
dynasty.
Shortly after Tim Abdullakhan the same street leads to southeast where it
meets northern passageway of
Taq-i Telpaq Furushon (on
Bukhara mapToki Telpak Furushon Trading
Dome). Besides this street four more streets at different angles reach
the structure. Architects met a challenge by making passageways for each
street between six radially placed pylons carrying a low cylindrical cupola
(of 14.5 meters in diameter) with dodecahedral skylight. The galleries with
niches and storerooms around the central hall are located on twelve inner 12
axes. Taq-i Telpaq Furushon was a shopping mall mainly of fur and other kind
of head-dresses such as
skullcaps embroidered with gold-thread and beads, fur-hats, and
skillfully rolled
turbans.
Western passageway of Taq-i Telpaq Furushon leads to Mekhtar Ambar street.
The first building on the right that adjoins to the wall of Taq-i Telpaq
Furushon is the ancient caravanserai
Kuleta of the 16-th century. If to pass
a little in front on the left, one can see the mosque named
Kurpa of the first half of the 16-th
century. Nearly at the end of this street on the right, there is another
curiosity, the
Madrasah of Mullo Tursunjon, which at
the end of the 18-th century became fourth of greatest madrasahs in Bukhara
after
Kukeldash,
Mir-i Arab and
Abdullah-khan.
Taq-i Sarrafon
Taq-i Sarrafon (on
Bukhara map Toki Sarrafon Trading
Dome) was built at the end of the 16-th century at the place of historic
market place beside the ancient
aryk - an irrigation ditch - Shahrud. Now the water of Shahrud flows on
the bottom of concrete channel. However, in the past it looked like muddy
rivulet. Beside it, there was
moneychangers' bazaar from time of ancient Bukhara. When Taq-i sarrafon
was built they made it the
center of usurious/currency businesses. There, also were stores with
skullcaps embroidered with gold, snow-white turbans,
earrings, pendants, expensive harness and crockery.
Today's bargaining takes place in way that looks like the whole of it.
Foundation of Taq-i sarrafon unearthed during recent restoration lies almost
two meters beneath the soil level.
Bukhara bathhouses
Near to Taq-i Sarrafon trading dome one can see the
bathhouse of the same name. Bathhouses are not to be confused with
special premises for ablution — they were available in many quarters of
city. Ablutions, in the East, have always been
important part of religious worship. Depending on facilities there were
two types of such premises:
tahorathona - a place for partial ablution, which, according to
sharia law, should precede each prayer - and
guslhona for complete ablution, which are ritual obligatory, for example
after intimacy between husband and wife.
Independently of ablution, a visit to a bathhouse was considered a "must" as
part of standard of well-being of the citizens in Bukhara. Therefore,
bathhouses were an indispensable element of an urban public center.
Particular significance was attached to medicinal and hygienic properties of
baths have. As Abu Ali ibn Sina writes in his “Canon of Medical
Science”, good baths must have a firm building, moderate temperature,
bright light, pure air, roomy and attractively painted dressing room and
pleasant water. The entrance of Taq-i Sarrafon bathhouse leads straight from
a street into relatively spacious checkroom and lounge. Further from the
lounge, a corridor leads to several semi-basement bathrooms - with
dome-shaped roof - connected by narrow passages.
There is one more intact ancient bathhouse in the present-day Bukhara. It is
Bozor-i Kord, near to Taq-i Telpaq Furushon.
Though in outward appearance the bathhouses look inexpressive - these
semi-basement structures pressed into narrow space amongst trading buildings
scarcely rise above the surface with their low domes - they are interesting
from cultural, historical and architectural points of view as good preserved
examples of the
civic-building in Bukhara in the 16-th century.
The
Labi Khauz (on Bukhara mapLyabi Khauz),
i.e. "at the pond", is the title given to the area surrounding one of the
few remaining Hauz or ponds surviving in the city of Bukhara. Until the Soviet
period there were many such ponds, which were the city's principal source of
water, but they were notorious for spreading disease and were mostly filled in
during the 1920s and 30s. The Lyab-i Hauz survived because it is the centrepiece
of a magnificent architectural ensemble, created during the 16th and 17th
centuries, which has not been significantly changed since.
The ensemble comprises three monumental structures:
Kukeldash Madrasah in the north,
Khanaka (1619-20) in the west and
Nadir divan-begi Madrasah (1622/23) (on
Bukhara mapNodir Devan-Begi Madrasah)
in the east. The small Qazi-e Kalyan Nasreddin madrasah (now demolished) was
formerly located beside the Kukeldash Madrasah
The Kukeldash Madrasah
(1568/69)
The word "kukeldash" literally means "foster-brother". In a
hierarchy of power inherited from Genghis-khan this word designates one
of the most important positions of khans' court. The sponsor of Kukeldash
Madrasah was
highly influential emir Kulbaba, who held a post of Kukeldash
under several khans of the Shaibanid dynasty. It is historically proven,
that emir Kulbaba Kukeldash gave help to
Abdulla-khan II (1561-1598) - the most powerful khan of the Shaibanid
dynasty - to come to power. According to the hallowed tradition of
consecration of the khan inherited from Mongols - in the states that
appeared after disintegration of the empire - each new khan ought to be
lifted lying on the sheet of white felt. The power to strain the sheet from
four corners had four men recognized as most influential figure in a
commonwealth. Emir Kulbaba was one of four men who consecrated Abdulla-khan
II. The title "khan" could be given only to
"tore" - agnate lineal descendant of Genghis-khan.
The greatest in size (80 x 60 meters and over 130 hujras) among other
madrasahs in Bukhara, Kukeldash Madrasah became a symbol of the steadfast
state under Abdulla-khan. The madrasah also famed as splendid example of "white
interior". The entrance gate is of particular interest, inlay fixtures
are devoid of glue or nails. The main front is adorned with geometrical
ornaments.
Divan-begi is a title that designated the post right after khan in the
Bukhara khanate.
Nadir Divan-begi held this position during the reign of Imam Quli-khan
(1611-1642), the strongest khan of the Ashtarkhanid (Janid)
dynasty (established in 1599). The rulers of Janid dynasty was alien to
powerful Shaibanid feudal lords, therefore Imam Quli-khan hardly retained
his power by force. The devotion to Islam tradition in the state under Janid
dynasty was pale before the eagerness of the time of prominent Shaibanid
khans. These two important peculiarities of the power were soon expressed in
remarkable architecture tendency. In 1619
Yalantush-biy who virtually independently governed
Samarkand had begun the construction of grand madrasah (Sher-Dor
Madrasah). The rich colored finishing and the
depiction of sun, tigers and antelopes tell of a pioneering approach to
artistic expression,
unique in the Islamic world.
The Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah (1622/23)
In three years Nadir Divan-begi followed Yalantush-biy by construction of
his own revolutionary structure (Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah). Originally
Nadir Divan-begi intended the building to be a
caravanserai (not that it was allowed to portray human or animal figures
on them either but it was marginally better than on a madrasah). But at the
inauguration ceremony, Imam Quli-khan unexpectedly proclaimed the supposed
caravanserai is to be a madrasah. So Nadir Divan-begi was obliged to
rearrange the caravanserai, by adding on to the front the loggias and
angular towers. He also constructed an additional storey with
cells (hujras). At the same time the madrasah does not have a lecture
room!
The entrance portal has depictions of 2 phoenix birds, 2 misshapen
white deer and a "man-in-the-sun" face.
The Khanaka of Nadir Divan-begi (1619/20)
This Khanaka a rectangular edifice topped with a dome. The building has
non-traditional narrow and prolate main portal along with two lateral
entrances. The hall (dhikr-hana) has excellent acoustic properties.
The inner walls of the hall are recessed with niches fringed with stucco
moldings. The dwelling space occupies corners and lateral exterior walls of
the building. The finishing of the main entrance gate is made quite
conservatively, with an exception of some floral elements in ornamentation.
The edges of the main portal are overworked with epigraphy ornaments. The
main front of the khanaka is cornered with towers cut at a level of the
walls.
The khanaka, owing to its location and size (side of the square hall is 11,2
m. - 36,75 ft.) in the course of centuries was the
prominent cultural and religious centre of Bukhara.
The story
According to local story, when Nadir Divan-begi built the Khanaka, near the
site of the building there, was a large holding, owned by an
old Jewish widow. Nadir Divan-begi had decided that this site would be
the perfect place for pond. However, the widow turned down his offer to buy
the property. Then Nadir Divan-begi brought her before Imam Quli-khan in the
hope that he would coerce her into selling. Imam Quli-khan ordered a
congress of muftis to inquire into the question. However, these specialists
in Muslim law decided that there was no legal way to purchase the property,
other than with the widow's consent, since Jews had rights on a par with
Muslims if they paid the
Jizyah or poll tax on non-Muslims.
Therefore, Nadir Divan-begi had to build a small reservoir near the house of
that stubborn Jewess. Nevertheless, he dug an
aryk - an irrigation ditch - to his new pond in such a way that the water
ran right near the Jewish widow's house, although it was more expensive.
Soon the water began to undermine the foundations of the widow's house. When
she came to Nadir Divan-begi for justice, he confirmed his readiness to buy
her house for fair price. The widow rejected the money, laying down her own
conditions instead. She promised give up her property if the Bukhara rulers
would give to her another piece of land with permission to build a
synagogue. In return for the widow’s holding Nadir Divan-begi gave her a
plot of land, belonging to him, in residential area, which later was named
the
"Jewish quarter" (Mahalli Kuma).
Soon the first
synagogue at Bukhara and a large pond, the
last element of the complex, were built. People started to call it the
"Lyab-i Hauz", which means "at the pond". The date of its construction is
about 1620. However, folk memory retains another epithet - "Haus-i Bazur"
i.e. "made with a force".
The pond
Today Lyab-i Hauz is a right-angled pond (46 x 36 meters), which stretches
from the east to the west. Its edges have the form of the descending
staircase made of massive blocks of yellowish limestone.
Before the Arab conquest there was a bazaar close by the site of the
Magak-i Attari Mosque (on
Bukhara map Magoki Attoron Mosque), i.e.
the "Mosque in pit". It was a
market for idols, potions and spices - attar (perfumes). Besides
this, there, was formerly a
Temple of the moon (Mokh) at this place.
During this time Bukhara functioned as a cult center for the worship of
Sin the god of the moon. The two chief seats of Sin's worship were Ur in
the south and Harran to the north of Mesopotamia. The cult of Sin spread to
other centers, and
temples of the moon-god are found in all the large cities of Babylonia and
Assyria. The
moon-god is by excellence the god of nomadic peoples, since the moon is
their guide and protector at night when they undertake their wanderings.
Therefore, the cult most likely arose at the place of Bukhara from the very
outset of the first settlements because of
inter-nomadic connections.
Approximately once a lunar cycle, the inhabitants of the Zaravshan Valley
exchanged their old idols of Sin for new ones. The trade festival took place
in front of the
Moon (Mokh) Temple. This festival was important in assuring the fertility
of land on which all
inhabitants of the delta of Zaravshan depended. Because of the trade
festivals, Bukhara became a center of commerce.
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Narshakhi of Bukhara, who had completed his book
in 943 A.D. (A.H. 332), mentions the mosque, which was built on the site of
former
Mokh Temple. He used the name "magok", i.e. "in a pit", because
even then half of it was concealed from view by the rising soil level.
Hence, the mosque, perhaps, is
one of the earliest religious buildings of Islamic era in Bukhara. Choice
of place for the mosque also proves this assumption, because Arab conquerors
built their sanctuaries first of all at the places of prostrated cults. In
Bukhara, it had taken place at least once more; the very first cathedral
mosque was built at the place of destroyed
temple of fire-worshippers. There is opinion that the Kalyan Mosque was
afterwards built exactly at that place.
Before the construction of the first
synagogue in the 17-th century
Jews had shared a place in the Magak-i Attari Mosque with Muslims. Some
say that Jews and Muslims worshipped alongside each other in the same place
at the same time. Other sources insist that Jews worshipped after Muslims.
This perhaps explains the Bukharan Jewish custom of saying
"Shalom Aleyhim" ("Peace be with you") after morning prayer. This custom
is lacking amongst European Jews.
Abdul-Aziz-khan I (gov. 1533-1550) had made thorough repairs of the
mosque in 1549.
New eastern upper portal was built, because the ancient southern portal
remained under the ground. Now released the southern portal represents
genuine
masterpiece of early Islamic architecture in Bukhara.
Chor-Minor(also the Madrasah of
Khalif Niyaz-kul) is situated on an esplanade down the road a bit to
northeast from Labi-hauz. Chor-Minor i.e. "four minarets" (on
Bukhara mapChor Minor Madrasah)
it is well-preserved structure built by
Khalif Niyaz-kul - rich inhabitant of Bukhara, Turkmen by origin. The
date of construction 1807 often indicated is not precise, because archival
documents keep data, which prove, that in Bukhara at the close of the 17-th
century there was a
residential area (quarter) Khalif Niyaz-kul named after madrasah of the same
name.
Design of Chor-Minor is such unusual that it is just flat-out confusing.
Therefore, some consider the
structure with four towers as a gate to lost madrasah behind.
However, on closer examination one can see that Chor-Minor (even in the
state that it got up to our days) is all-sufficient complex of buildings
that have at least two destinations - ritual and dwelling.
Main edifice cornered with towers is a mosque. In spite of its unusual
outward shape, the mosque has quite customary interior. The primary purpose
of the mosque was to serve as a place for the five
daily prayers (masjid-y panchvakty). Owing to cupola the room has good
acoustic properties, therefore it takes on special significance of
dhikr-hana hall, a place for ritualized dhikr ceremonies of Sufi, the liturgy
of which often include recitation, singing, and instrumental music.
On either side of a central edifice are located dwelling rooms. Some of them
collapsed, only basement remained. Consequently, for full functioning of
madrasah only of classroom and some utility rooms is lacking. However, there
is no intimation that they ever existed, only guesswork. If to suppose that
madrasah was not such huge that extant buildings were only a front of it;
intact solid structures can be madrasah in itself for 15-20 students.
On the esplanade to the right from Chor-Minor is a pool, most likely of the
same age with the complex of buildings.
It was common practice that so-called madrasahs had no lecture rooms or,
even if they had, no lectures had been given in them. These madrasahs were
employed as student hospices. For example the
Goziyon hurd (Small Goziyon) madrasah and even the Nadir
Divan-Begi Madrasah (which has no lecture room). In the 19-th century at
the quarter
Garibia, there was a mosque. There was also a row of dwelling rooms for
students near by to this mosque, which (the row) was called the
Gabria madrasah. At the quarter Miraqon, there was a khanaka.
Khanaka in itself is a hospice for dervishes. However, because there
lived students, it was called madrasah. At the quarter
Sesu, near to ancient mosque there was hospice composed of only seven
hujras (dwelling rooms). The hospice also was called madrasah. The same
situation was at the quarter
Volida-honi-shahid.
Each of four towers (minarets) has different shape. Some say that elements
of decoration reflect religious-philosophical purport of four world
religions. At least, one can easily find
some elements are reminiscent of cross, Christian fish and
Buddhist praying-wheel.
Namazgoh (on
Bukhara mapNamazgokh Mosque) is
one of the oldest constructions of Bukhara in the South of present-day city.
The first known Namazgoh at this place was developed in the 9-th century,
during the reign of the Samanid dynasty. One of the characters of
this time is stabilization of the power under Islam ideology. Because of it,
Bukhara became
one of the major Islamic centers on the East. It was the time of general
construction of
ritual buildings (mosques, namazgohs), educational institutions
(madrasahs) and other structures peculiar to usages of new religion such
as
khanaka, minaret and so on.
The word "Namaz" derives from two Sanskrit roots "Nama" and "Yajna"
meaning bowing and worshipping. In Persian it is
loan-word from Arabic word "Salah". Salah, also salat, namaz, solat,
solah, solaat, solaah, salaat, namaaz, shalat and other spellings refer to
the five daily ritual prayers in Islam.
The word "Namazgoh" (Namazgah) has the same meaning with the Arabic word
“Musalla”, which comes from the root word “Salah”.
Salah means “prayer” - Musalla literally means, “prayer performed”. Thus,
words Namazgoh and Musalla refer to a place where Namaz can be performed
as it is performed in the Sacred Mosque.
The musalla may be an area, room or prayer rug used by Muslim people to
provide for themselves a clean space to pray.
Known as musalla or festival mosques, namazgohs are open-air mosques
capable of accommodating large crowds or camping armies and were often built
outside cities, or along major roads.
Existent structure of the Namazgoh of Bukhara was originally constructed in
1119 under
Qarakhanid ruler Alp Arslan Khan Mukhammad. Then the namazgoh was
significantly modified in three subsequent stages. The first stage, dating
to the 12th century is a
baked brick qibla wall, approximately 38 meters long. It consists of a
central
mihrab niche flanked by a blind arch on either side. The broad forecourt
is thought to have been partially fenced in, to demarcate sacred territory.
The space immediately in front of the mihrab may have been roofed, as seen
in similar structures in Merv and Nissa.
The second stage consisted of the addition of geometric brick and
terracotta decoration during the 13th century under
Mongol Il-Khanid rulers. Timurid reign in the 15th century added
decorative bands made of glazed tile. Astrakhanid rulers in the 17th
century commissioned the final and the most extensive modifications. A new
facade with a three-bay portico, centered about a pishtaq or a projecting
portal was attached to the original
qibla wall, raised on a stone plinth. A brick minbar - in Islam, the
pulpit from which the sermon (khutbah) is delivered - perhaps replacing
a wooden predecessor was added to the northern corner of the portico facing
the congregation.
There is an octagonal hauz, or stepped lake made of hewn stone, to
the north east of the qibla that was possibly used for ablutions. The
namazgoh is made of baked brick, terracotta and ganch, or alabaster panels,
resulting in a predominantly monochromatic ochre composition. The incised
terracotta panels, especially in the interior, bear traces of polychromatic
decoration. The pishtaq is lined with blue ceramic bands with kufic
calligraphy. Its tympanum is filled with interlocking stars and hexagons in
blue ceramic.
The structure had extensive damages to its plinth and roof, caused by water
seepage, now it is under reconstruction. Since nowadays it is within the
city the namazgoh has lost its ritual significance what has resulted in its
disuse and neglect. Today other significant out-of-town religious centers
(such as the
Bakha ad-Din Nahshbandi Ensemble or
Kasim-shaikh mausoleum in
Kermine) play a role of namazgoh in Bukhara province.
The Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417+) (on Bukhara mapUlugbek Madrasah)
is the only structure of such scale in Bukhara, which remained from the
epoch of the Timuride dynasty.
Ulugh Beg (Chaghatay/Persian: الغبیگ - also Uluğ Bey, Ulugh Bek, Ulug
Bek and Ulugbek) (March 22, 1394 - October 27, 1449), born
Muhammad Taragai ibn Shakhrukh ibn Timur Gurgan. Ulugh Beg, meaning "Great
Ruler" or "Patriarch Ruler" was the
grandson of Timur and the son of Shakhrukh.
Ulugh Beg was born in Sultaniyeh in Iran. He showed an aptitude for
scientific pursuits from an early age. His father and grandfather attracted
scholars to
Samarkand, and Ulugh Beg took full advantage of this. With
Timur's death, and the accession of Ulugh Beg's father to much of the
Timurid Empire, Ulugh Beg settled in Samarkand which had been Timur's
capital. After Shah Rukh moved the capital to Herat (in modern Afghanistan),
sixteen-year-old Ulugh Beg became the governor in Samarkand in 1409. In 1411
he became a sovereign of the whole Mavarannahr khanate.
The teenaged ruler set out to turn the city into an intellectual center
for the empire. In 1417-1420 he built the
madrasa ("university" or "institute") on
Registan Square in Samarkand, and
invited numerous Islamic astronomers and mathematicians to study there. In
addition to the madrasah in Samarkand Ulugh Beg also built the same
institution in Bukhara, supposed to be a real center of the enlightenment in
the area. The construction of the Ulugh Beg Madrasah in Bukhara was also
initiated in 1417. His own particular interests concentrated on astronomy,
and in 1428 he built an enormous
observatory in Samarkand.
Interestingly, he was very strongly devoted to the search for truth and
accuracy, to the point of using his position of power to advance a false
idea, then chastizing people who agreed with him out of deference to his
rank and power.
His father, Shakhrukh, died in 1447 and passed control of his kingdom to
Ulugh Beg, which drew him away from his scientific pursuits. Ulugh Beg's
politics were not up to his science and, after his father's death,
he was unable to retain power despite being an only son. Ulugh Beg was
assassinated in 1449 under the orders of his son,
Abdul Latif, who was himself murdered a year later.
The life of Ulugh Beg paralleled the life of another prominent figure of the
15-th century -
Sheikh Uboydullo Khodja Ahror (1404-1490).
Sheikh Uboydullo Khodja Ahror was born
in
Bogiston village near to
Tashkent. Uboydullo Ahror was quite young
man when he became a head of the
Sufi order Naqshbandiyya. He noticeably improved doctrine, and in the
middle of the 15th c. he became a leader of Muslim clergy of all the State
that was inherited from Timur, where during the 14th and 15th centuries, the
Naqshabandiya was the dominant Sufi order. Using his important position
Khoja Ahrar became powerful political broker. There is opinion that Khodja
Ahror opposed the
secular education in madrasahs. After Ulgh Begh's death he moved his
residency from Tashkent to Samarkand (in 1451), where in the rest of his
life he had enormous influence in spiritual and temporal power. Ulugh Beg's
death and the strengthening of the clergy power in the state put an end to
the astronomical work at Samarkand.
Perhaps the madrasah of Ulugh Beg in Bukhara built almost at the same time
with his madrasah in Samarkand is the witness of inceptive
confrontation between Ulugh Beg and religious opposition of Nakshbandiya,
whose center was in Bukhara. At least an inscription entwined with astral
elements of decor, which predominates in ornamental finishing of the main
entrance of the madrasah, throws down a challenge. It says: "Pursuit of
knowledge is the duty of each follower of Islam, man and woman". They
say there was another inscription, lost in renovation in the 16-th century,
"Let the doors of God's blessing will open over a circle of peoples,
versed in the book wisdom".
The architects of the Ulugbek Madrasah in Bukhara were best professionals of
that time,
Nadjmetdin Bukhari and Ismail Isfagani.
The Saif ed-Din al-Boharsi Mausoleum and the Bayan-Quli Khan
Mausoleum
In the settlement, called Fathabad, to the east from medieval Bukhara,
in the past was vast religious complex. The initial core of the complex was
the grave of
Saif ed-Din al-Boharsi (1190-1261) - very popular poet, sheikh, and
theologian - who lived in thirteenth century. The followers of the sheikh
al-Boharsi have built up at this area of rabad (rabad - an outskirt)
many dormitories (khanakas) for dervishes, who lived there on donations of
the
Kubravi Sufi order members. The Fathabad settlement later had joined the
city.
The Chagatay ruler Bayan-Quli Khan had expressed a wish to be
interred near by respected burial place of al-Boharsi, and it is there that
he is buried. In 1358, the Mausoleum of Bayan-Quli Khan had appeared
there. The extant mausoleum of Saif ed-Din Boharsi dates from the end of
14-ht century.
The Saif ed-Din al-Boharsi Mausoleum
(on
Bukhara mapSaifuddin Bukharzi
Mauzoleum) together with the Bayan-Quli Khan Mausoleum (on Bukhara map
Buyan Kulikhan Mausoleum) are an admirable architectural ensemble.
However, these monuments make even more great interest because of their
religious-historical and cultural importance.
The Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Complex (on
Bukhara map Bakhauddin Ensemble) is
situated at the place of the former center of
Sufi order (tariqa) Naqshbandi (Naqshbandiyya). This order is one
of the major Sufi orders of Islam. Formed in 1380, the order is considered
by some to be a "sober" order known for its
silent dhikr (remembrance of God) rather than the vocalized forms of
dhikr common in other orders.
The Naqshbandi order is also notable as it is the only Sufi order to trace
its
spiritual lineage (silsilah) to Muhammad through Abu Bakr, the first
caliph. In contrast, most other tariqas trace their lineage
Ali ibn Abu Talib, Muhammad's cousin, son-in-law, and fourth caliph.
The word Naqshbandi نقشبندی is Persian, taken from the name of the
founder of the order,
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Some have said that the translation means
"Way of the Chain" or "Golden Chain", and others consider
Naqshbandiyya means to "tie the Naqsh very well". “The "Naqsh" is
the perfect engraving of Allah's Name in the heart of the murid. As they say
the designation of the
Naqshbandi Golden Chain has changed from century to century. From the
time of
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq to the time of Bayazid al-Bistami it was called
as-Siddiqiyya. From the time of Bayazid to the time of
Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani it was called at-Tayfuriyya. From the
time of
Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani to the time of Sheikh Naqshband it was called
the
Khwajaganiyya. From the time of Sheikh Naqshband through the time of
Ubaidullah al-Ahrar and Ahmad Faruqi, it was called Naqshbandiyya.
Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Naqshband
Muhammad Bahauddan Uways al-Bukhari, known as Sheikh Naqshband,
the Imam of the Naqshbandi Tariqa, was born in the year 1317 A.D. in the
village of
Qasr al-carifan (Qasr-i-Arifon), located at the present time at the Kagan
district near to Bukhara. After finishing of first course of religious
education, at the age of 18, he became a fellow of the
Shaikh Muhammad Baba as-Samasi, who was an authority in hadith
( The Arabic word hadith is a narration about the life of the Prophet
or what he approved - as opposed to his life itself, which is the Sunnah) in
Central Asia. After the latter's death, he followed
Shaikh Amir Kulal who continued and perfected his training in the
external and the internal knowledge.
The students of Shaikh Amir Kulal used to make dhikr aloud when sitting
together in association, and silent dhikr when alone. Sheikh Naqshband,
however, although he never criticized nor objected to the loud dhikr,
preferred the silent dhikr. Concerning this he says, "There are two methods
of dhikr; one is silent and one is loud. I chose the silent one because it
is stronger and therefore more preferable." The silent dhikr thus became the
distinguishing feature of the Naqshbandiyya among other tariqas.
Sheikh Naqshband performed Hajj (Pilgrimage) three times, after which he
resided in Merv and Bukhara. Towards the end of his life he went back to
settle in his native place of Qasr al-carifan. His teachings became
far-famed. Visitors from far and wide came to see him and to seek his
advice. They received teaching in his school and mosque, a complex which at
one time accommodated more than five thousand people. This school became the
largest Islamic center of learning in Central Asia and still exists in our
days. It was recently renovated and reopened after surviving seventy years
of soviet rule.
When Sheikh Naqshband died (in 1389) he was buried in his garden as he
requested.
The succeeding Khans of Bukhara took care of his school and mosque. By the
16th century, the Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Complex acquired characteristic
features of a necropolis combined with the ritual/educational complex. In
1544 Abdul Aziz-khan I had rearranged a burial place of Sheikh Naqsband by
building dakhma platform above sheikh's grave with a carved marble
fence. At the same time and at the short distance from dakhma was built the
biggest ever khanaka (42,5x38 m.).
To the other sights of the complex belong the Mosque of Muzaffar-khan -
approx. the thirties of the 16-th century - and the Mosque of Khakim
Kushbegi with small madrasah and minaret. Another curiosity is the
picturesque arched
saqqakhana. The saqqakhana (literally, the water-carrier's house)
in oriental tradition can be a little building or niche in a wall, or even
just a shelf containing a tap or fountain or jug, usually set behind an iron
grille. Passersby can not only quench their thirst but also ask for
fulfillment of pious requests after leaving a small votive gift. There as
also large pool with
lifeless ritual mulberry-tree ashore. Many famous people belonging to the
Bukhara history are buried here at the territory of vast necropolis to the
west from dakhma.
Supplementary information
The respected in all Islam World, Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Naqshband is arguably
considered as the one whose life by some way was connected to the life of
Timur (1336 - 1405) - the 14-th century
warlord, conqueror of much of Western and central Asia, and founder of the
Timurid Empire (1370-1405) in Central Asia. It is said that in his youth,
Sheikh Baha-ud-Din was a weaver working on silks, with gold embroidery;
therefore he is considered as arts' patron. Visiting of his tomb is believed
a very pious act. They believe that
baraka (Baraka (or Barakah) is a term referring to a sense of divine
presence, charisma, wisdom, and/or blessing) of Baha-ud-Din Naqshband
still rests on his grave. Before Islam the village was a center of so-called
"Red Rose" pagan cult.
Chor-Bakr (16-th - 17-th c.c.) (on
Bukhara mapChor Bakr) is a
necropolis in
Sumitan settlement near to Bukhara. It has developed around the graves of
Khodja Abu Bakr Sa'd and Imam Abu Bakr Ahmed, whose activity dates
from the time of
Islam dissemination in Bukhara. Their descendants - khojas of Juibar
- were the keepers of
esteemed burial places - mazars. (Khoja or Khwaja, a Persian word
literally
meaning "master", was used in Central Asia as a title of the descendants
of the earliest four successors (righteous caliphs) of Mohammad (Abu-Bakr,
Omar, Osmon and Ali). The khoja(s) often played, or aspired to play,
ruling roles in
Muslim community in Turkistan).
In the 16-th century famous Khoja Islam Juibariy (died in 1563 AD)
virtually founded a powerful dynasty called the
Juibar khojas. Abdullah-khan II (gov. 1561-1598) was a
disciple (murid) of Khoja Islam from his youth, he then came to power
with the help of Khoja Islam, therefore Abdullah-khan always gave support to
the clan. He built many religious and civil installations for them.
When Abdullah-khan became firmly established in Bukhara, he issued an edict
on inclusion in a southwest part of the city of settlement Sumitan in order
to protect the
graves of Khoja Abu Bakr Sa'd and imam Abu Bakr Ahmed as well as other
property of Juibar khojas. Around the graves Abdullah-khan constructed a
complex of structures, which is mostly intact up to now. New sections of
city wall together with gate called
Darvaza-nau «New Gate» were built there. Later on, the completion up of
all complex took much time.
The central complex consists of the khanaka, mosque and madrasah.
The minaret stresses a large scale of main buildings. A narrow path sunk
into the ground leads to a group of
funeral family yards - hazira with entrance gates and eivans of memorial
mosques. The architect of "Khoja Kalon Mosque" of the
Khodja Gaukushan Ensemble also has been
buried in Chor-Bakr.
Varakhsha (locates at a distance of 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west
from Bukhara; area – 100 ha (247 a); cultural layers – about 10 m. (33 ft.);
most flourished in the period of the 7-th and 8-th centuries A.D.; collapsed
in the 11-th century) is the site of ancient settlement with former
residence of Bukhar Khudas - the rulers of Bukhara in time before Arab
invasion. Among other reasons for decline and following collapse of
Varakhsha is often assigned an
irrigative dehydration of the area.
Historical significance of Varakhsha
Apart from the political and religious significance connected to its
residence status, well-fortified Varakhsha was an
important military outpost on the western border of the oasis. It was
also a considerable trade center situated on the road between Bukhara and
Khoresm and in the contact zone
between the nomads and sedentary population. Varakhsha was also a major
center of crafts. This statement is supported by the discovery of the traces
of industrial quarters in Varakhsha's environs. In addition to it Varakhsha
was the center of a large agricultural area "irrigated by the twelve
canals".
Varakhsha played the important role in local history during the dramatic
period of the
Arab conquests. At that time, the old Bukhara ruling family moved the
royal court to Varakhsha, thus turning it into the scene of many tragic
events of their dynastic history.
Varakhsha excavations
The large-scale archeological investigations of ancient cultures of
the area started in the second half of the 1930s. Soviet archaeologist
Vasilii Shishkin became the real discoverer of Varakhsha in 1937. Once on
the site, Shishkin noticed the outlines of rooms on the surface of the
elevation to the east of the citadel. This looked promising, and the first
excavation spot was set there. One of the rooms turned out to be filled with
the fragments of
ornamental and figurative decorative stucco in early (what was then
considered Sasanian) style. This find became a true archaeological
sensation. That is how the
palace of Varakhsha became the very first Sogdian monumental edifice
to undergo archaeological excavations.
The palace of Varakhsha
The palace is the only archaeologically known Sogdian architectural
structure, which has a written history. Indeed, in the
Tarikh-i Bukhara composed in 332 AH/943-4 A.D. by Muhammad ibn
al-Narshakhi there is a special passage devoted to this building. According
to Narshakhi it was built “more than a thousand years ago”. “This palace had
been destroyed and abandoned for many years when
Khnk Khudah restored it. It again fell into ruins, and again
Bunyat b. Toghshada, Bukhar Khudah, rebuilt it in Islamic times and made
his court there till he was killed in it. [Narshaki - Frye 1954, pp. 17-18]
The original building of the palace dates to the reign of Khunak
(689-709 A.D.). The first remodeling took place during the reign of
Toghshada and the paintings on the blue background (the
Eastern Hall and an early layer of paintings in the Red Hall) most
likely belong to the period of his “apostasy” around 719. The new paintings
of the Red Hall belong to the later part of Toghshada’s reign, which ended
in 738 A.D.. The fourth stage in the history of the building was connected
to the enthronement of his son
Qutaiba b. Toghshada (738-753 A.D.). Finally, Buniyat b. Toghshada
(753-782) was responsible for the major reconstruction of the palace and the
first stucco decoration. He was assassinated for his supporting of
Mukanna’s anti-Arabic insurrection (70-80 of the 8-th c.)
The content and genre characteristics of the Varakhsha paintings as well as
their fate reflect the political instability of the time and the dubious
position in which the rulers of Bukhara found themselves. Bukhar Khudas had
to balance between their own pretension to rule over the Bukharan oasis and
the overwhelming power of the Arabs. This position required a sophisticated
maneuvering between the old national and religious traditions on the one
hand and the attempt to present themselves to Arabs as pious converts to
Islam on the other.
The summer-palace of Bukhara emirSitora-I-Mohi-Hosa (from Persian "House
of the Moon and the Star") is located at a distance of 4 kilometers (2,5
miles) to the north from Bukhara (on
Bukhara mapSitora-i-Mohi-Khosa).
The construction of the palace began at the end of the 19-th century, when
the best artisans sent by the order of the
Bukhara emir Ahadhan to St. Petersburg and Yalta for studying of
experience of Russian architects had returned from Russia. Therefore,
architecture of the ensemble is a mix of the elements typical for European
architecture with ornate interior design of Isfahan palaces and the
centuries-old experience of local construction traditions.
Most interesting is the New Palace, which consists of several
noteworthy structures, such as a
triumphal arch of entrance gates with expressionless mosaic finishing;
galleries with straight pylon, around the yard; a section of European
architecture with a greenhouse in front of a big pond (1917-1918) and
rooms of emir's harem in the heart of the garden.
The main section of the palace consists of several waiting rooms and emir's
private apartments. The most famous room of this section is the
White Hall. The construction of the hall took 2 years (1912-1914). The
group of 25-30 skilled workman, under the direction of the storied artisan -
Usto Shirin Muradov had made amazing finishing sparkling with glaringly
whiteness of
gulganch (carved stucco), which covered walls and ceiling.
Far earlier of the construction of the palace this place was famous for pure
and cool air. They say that even uncooked meat could remain unspoilt in
fresh air for 11 days. That explains choice of the place for emir's summer
mansion-house.
The minaret in Vabkent is one of the most
refined works of local architecture. The date of the beginning of its
construction (1196-97) is visible in the form of
Kufic inscription in the lower decorative belt round the trunk of the
minaret. The inscription also mentions the name of
Burkhan-ad-Din Ayud-al-Aziz II, who probably ordered the construction. In
the upper decorative belt it is written in the form of Divani inscription
that the minaret was completed in 595 A.H., i.e. in 1198-99.
Ghujdawan
Ghujdawan - a district administrative centre along the road
to Samarkand - is famous first of all as a native place of
Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani, the founder of Sufi order (tarica) called
Khwajaganiyya the predecessor of Naqshbandiyya. Together with
Ahmad Yasavi young Abdul Khaliq Ghujdawani was one of four successors of
Yusuf ibn al-Husayn al-Hamadani (the prominent Sufi master of his time).
Al-Ghujdawani has died in about 1220 when he was 95. In 1433, to the west of
al-Ghujdawani's mazar, by order of Ulugh Beg, was built the latest of three
his madrasahs.
Rabat-i-Malik and the Malik sardobaa
On the roadside in the Malik Steppe, one can see the portal of the 12th
century, which leads to the ruins of the
fortress Rabat-i-Malik -"Prince's
rabat".
The word "rabat" means "castle", or "fortress". It refers to the
fortified settlements and places of rest along caravan routes. During the
heyday of the Silk Road, travelers and merchants gathered within the
walls of this fortress on the road from Samarkand to Bukhara. The remainders
of finishing - carved stucco,
figured ornamental brickwork and unglazed carved ceramics - give
food for reflection about the lost beauty.
The inhabitants of the rabat took water from the
Malik sardoba, a gigantic underground
brick tank covered with a dome. Water to sardoba, by passing through
subterranean canal - "kiaryz", comes from
Zaravshan River.
