Bukhara - Medieval Center of Islamic Education

 

Bukhara – “Vihar” from Sanskrit, meaning Monastery, known among locals as Bukhoro-i-Sharif – Noble Bukhara, one of the oldest and prominent cities in Central Asia with history over 2500 years. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long been a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. The historic center of Bukhara, which contains numerous mosques and madrassas, has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Persian-speaking Tajiks constitute the largest element of the city's population. The city has long had a mixed population including Jews and other ethnic minorities.Bukhara is truly of the most living old cities where you can feel and experience all from the past, old streets, caravanserais, chaikhanas, bazaars, shops, workshops, khammams, minarets, madrassah, mosques, mausoleums, and of course public places where you get the complete understanding of life. For the centuries Bukhara was the capital of the large State of people speaking in different languages of the East, and Tajik as the common language. As a result still today we can find tajik as commonly spoken language in the town. Monuments of particular interest include the famous tomb of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of 10th-century Muslim architecture, and a large number of 17th-century madrasas. The historic part of the city, which is in effect an open-air museum, combines the city's long history in a single ensemble. Before the Arab conquest Bukhara was one of the largest cities of central Asia, owing its prosperity to its site on a rich oasis and at the crossroads of ancient trade routes. It became a major cultural center of the Caliphate of Baghdad in 709. In 892 Emir Ismail ibn Ahmad (892-907) created an independent state and chose Bukhara as the capital of the powerful Samanid kingdom. There followed a period of great economic and cultural growth, when the city grew enormously in size, especially under the rule of the Karakhanids from the 11th century onwards. In 1220 the city was sacked by the Mongol horde of Genghis Khan (1220) and was not to recover until the second half of the 13th century. In 1370 it became part of the great Timurid Empire, whose capital was at Samarkand. Bukhara was still the second city and building was renewed.The late 15th century saw much feudal strife in the declining Timurid lands, with the result that Bukhara was occupied by Uzbek nomadic tribesmen led by Shaybani Khan, under whose dynasty it became the center of the Uzbek state. The Bukhara khanate was assiduous in promoting economic and cultural development in its territory, and the city was the main beneficiary of the new construction that ensued. In the centuries that followed the death of Abdullah Khan in 1598 there was a succession of short-lived dynasties and from the late 17th century the resulting weakness led to continual raids and pillage by neighboring rulers. It was not until 1753 that Bukhara became the capital of a new Mangit dynasty that was to survive until 1920. During this period the city was a major trade staging post for the whole of central Asia. In 1848 it had no fewer than 38 caravanserais, 6 trading domes, 16 public baths, and 45 bazaars. The earliest monuments include the 10th century Ismail Samani Tomb, the decorated brick minaret of Poi-Kalon from the 11th century, along with the Magoki Mosque and the Chasma Ayub Shrine. The Timurid period is represented only by the Ulugbek Madrassah. The most celebrated buildings date from the Sheybibanid period - the Poi-Kalon Ensemble, the Lyabi Khauz Ensemble, the Kosh Madrassah consisting of Modari Khan madrassah and Abdulla Khan Madrassah. Later important structures for the trade appeared, such as Toki Sarrafon – Dome of the Money Changers, Toki Telpak Furushon – Dome of the Headdress Seller, Toki Zargaron – Dome of Jewelers, and Tim-Abdullah-Khan. However, the real importance of Bukhara lies not in its individual buildings but rather in its overall level of urban planning and architecture, which began centuries ago. 

BUKHARA SIGHTS: 

The Ark Citadel 

Kalon Minaret

Kalon in Tajik means "great" and when the mosque was built the minaret (tower) was probably of the tallest building in Central Asia. It is 47 meters tall and is supported by one km-deep foundations padded with reeds to make it earthquake-proof.The Kalyan Minaret was erected in 1127 by the order of Arslan khan, the ruler from Karakhanids dynasty. According to records of the time, the builders made an error in its construction, and it soon collapsed. When the remnants were cleared away, Arslan-khan ordered that a new minaret, stronger and more beautiful, the likes of which hadn’t been ever seen in all of the Muslim East, be built. The Kalian Minaret, built of burnt brick and plaster mortar, rises to a height of forty-six meters above the ground. The minaret is decorated with 14 parallel bands none of which are repeated. During the repairs in 1924, the minaret was faced with glazed bricks where the frieze had been. At the present time, the lower part of the minaret has been restored and the layers of dirt accumulated over the ages cleaned off. The inside of of the minaret is hollow. It is possible to go  up the minaret via a special foot bridge. Throughout the eight centuries of its existence, it served as a watch tower and a lighthouse for trade caravans. The guard-post for observers to notify the city of approaching danger remains in place. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the minaret acquired an unsavory reputation and was known as a “tower of death”: the condemned were hurled to their deaths from this tower upon the Emir's order. Today this outstanding work of architecture, the perfect architectural forms of which have long served as an example for similar works in the Muslim East, still remains the tallest minaret in the Muslim East.  

Kalon Mosque 

Next to the Kalon Minaret of Bukhara another outstanding construction attracts thousands of visitors of Bukhara - The Djuma Masjid or Kalon Mosque – The Big Mosque of Bukhara, with the territory of 1,5 hectares which can house 10,000 worshippers. Its roof looks flat but actually consists of 288 domes. The mosque stands on the place of the ancient mosque from the 12^th century, which was burnt down by the Mongol Horde under Genghis Khan. The layout of the Kalon Mosque is traditional: a rectangular courtyard with a tall and large room on the west side. The square has deeply recessed niches on the transverse axis and a mikhrab on the main axis.  The decor of the mosque is constrained, composed primarily of glazed tiles and bricks that form knots, and is concentrated mainly on the main facade and the mikhrab. Interestingly, however, beyond this facade archaeological research has revealed an earlier decor, composed of six sided tiles and a mosaic border.  

Mir - Arab Madrassah

Lyabi Khauz Ensemble