Tashkent
Tashkent is a capital of Uzbekistan. The city is one of the largest industrial and cultural centers in
Central Asia. And in the same time it is one of the oldest ancient cities in this region.
Chach an ancient name of Tashkent was a center of lively trade. Local merchants supplied foreign traders with
gold, precious stones, fruits and beautiful horses and others goods with which were rich ancient land of
Uzbekistan.
The most interesting part of Tashkent is an old city near Eski-juva Bazaar. Eski-juva Bazaar is the largest
market place in the city where any goods can find their seller or buyer. There is also Barakhan Madrassah.
This is a magnificent monument of the 16th century. The Al-Bukhari Islamic Institute trained Muslim clergy
for the former republics of the Soviet Union is located in this medieval complex.
Such creations of the middle ages as Yunus-Khona Mausoleum, Kukeldash Madrassah and Barakhan Madrassah saved
their grandeur not only through centuries but even after the devastating earthquake in 1966 when the city was
strongly destroyed.
Tashkent has nearly 20 museums of modern and ancient art where everyone can find something interesting for
him/herself. The Uzbek Art Museum has one of the largest collections of sculptures, painting and handicrafts
in Central Asia. The Uzbek Museum of Applied Arts displays 30.000 exhibits of handicrafts, traditional
jewellery, etc.
Nowadays Tashkent Metro has transformed from a simple kind of transport to a unique architectural building
with amazing and interesting stations' decoration. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the
world.
Monuments of Tashkent
Architectural Complex Zengi-Ata
Architectural complex Zengi-Ata is located in Zengi-Ata settlement near Tashkent. This monument represents huge historical and art value. The ensemble has been arisen on the basis of a burial place of sheikh Aj-Hodzha by nickname Zengi-Ata that means "black", living at the end of 12th, first half of 13th century. He was the fifth murid of Sufi Hodzha Ahmad Jassavi who was considered as the spiritual head of all Turkic tribes of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, the pupil of mystic poet Suleyman Khaki - ata Bakyrgani. Legend says, the beginning of the construction of this ensemble was initiated by Amir Temur. He has constructed the mausoleums of famous saint Zengi-ata and his wife Ambar-bibi.
The ensemble consists of three territories: extensive garden, the complex of constructions of 14-19 c. - the mosque, medressa, minaret and the mausoleum of Ambar-bibi. The entrance to the ensemble is located through darvazakhana. It is presented as a portal-dome construction with turrets - guldasta on the corners. Darvaza is not large: 6x7? in the lay-out, the premise inside is blocked by the arch "balkhi", height of the building is 3.3 m., chord of the portal arch is 4.16 m. and height is 6.58 m. From the gate up to the entrance in the second court yard there is path of 22 m. length, it rests against the darvazakhana - the entrance to the main complex.
To the south of the path there is a big hauz. In the southwest part the mosque of namazgokh type is located. The portal of mausoleum Zengi-ata leads to the southern corner of the courtyard, the building of which is in the territory of the cemetery. Perimeter of the court yard is encumbered with khudjra. Two entrances lead to the courtyard and they are formed as portal-dome premises darvaza-khana. In 1914-15, original minaret-tower was erected in front of the mosque. The old cemetery adjoins to the historical complex from the south. From the southern entrance there is a green area path that leads to the mausoleum of Ambar-bibi.
Mosque Zengi-Ata
Mosque Zengi-Ata is included into the basic complex. It was built by Zengiata Kaziy in 1870. The mosque closes the court yard in front of the mausoleum from southwest. In 1914-15 the mosque was under reparation and partly reconstructed: ayvan was changed, the slope of roof above the gallery was constructed, the southern facade was shifted.
The mosque - Namasgokh here was used for celebratory prayers. It represents the building with extended part in a cross-section direction, with large portal-dome in the center, the lowered wings of arch-dome galleries on the sides and wooden ayvan in front of the entire building. The mosque is blocked by unary spheric domes: in the main building - on arch, in galleries - on thyroid sails. Pylons which are the base of the dome's gallery have square shape, with the quarters extended on corners which are going down up to a socle. The mosque is combined from square burnt bricks, walls outside are in a black laying, inside are plastered. Originally, the interior has been painted by colors and inscriptions, some paintings haven't been preserved. Among paintings there was an inscription with date 1870-1871 and name of the master from Kokand - Kozh - Mukhamedi-Kokandi.
Medreseh Zengi-Ata
The building that surrounds from three sides a trapezoid court yard in front of the facade of mausoleum Zengi-Ata, is called medreseh. Period of construction is the end of 18th - beginning of 20th centuries. On the door of the portal a date 1286 year of khidjra (1832 ) is carved, the entrance door in western darvazakhona has an inscription: 1333 year of khidjra (1914-15) and names of Tashkent masters - mulla ustad Kul-beku and usta Nazar-khan. Khudjras are blocked by lancet vaults, darskhana and darvazakhana are blocked by spheric unary domes (based on unary thyroid sails, and in darskhana - on an octahedral circle of the arch sails filled with unary thyroid sails).
The rhythm of khudjra is interrupted by two entrance rooms: checkpoint darvazakhanas in the western corner and in the center of the northeast part of building. One-stored khudjras are marked from a court yard by a rhythm of non deep niches which do not correspond the size of the rooms located behind them. Only darvazakhana in the center of the northeast part of the court yard and mausoleum Zengi-Ata that is dissymmetrical located in the corner of the court yard are marked by portal. Medreseh is built from square burnt bricks, repair sites of the period of 1924-15 are laid out by rectangular bricks.
Ensemble Khazret Imam
The ensemble has been built on the tomb of one of the first Imam of Tashkent, famous scientist, the expert of Koran and khadises of khazreti Imam (his full name is Abubekr Mukhamad Kaffal Shashi). According to historical data he was buried in the territory of Sebzar - one of four city areas of Tashkent which has been developed later. The tomb was popular and is highly honoured. All districts in Sebzar part of old city received name Khazreti Imam - named after Sheikh. In 16th century Barak-Khan medreseh was the basis of this ensemble and it united two more mausoleums of 15-16th centuries "Nameless" and Suyunidj-Khana in one complex. On the opposite side of Barak-Khan Medreseh, the Tashkent mosque of Tillya-sheikh is located and functioning nowadays. It was constructed in 1856-57 by Khan of Kokand Mirza Ahmed Kushbegi. The shape of building is rectangular, the longitudinal - axial construction of 16th century blocked by 12 domes (three in 4 rows). The entrance compartment is separated by later constructed partitions from a square hall for prays. Further two rooms for prays, winter and summer halls-ayvan; a short minaret; warehouse rooms and library are located. The mosque is decorated with carved window apertures, with minarets on each side. Later, the extension - ayvan, mikhrab niche, minbar - a throne where the pray is being read during namaz have appeared.
Architectural monument of 16th century, the mausoleum erected above the tomb of esteemed ecclesiastic Mohammed Abu-Bekr Kaffal-Shashi (died in 10th c.) is also included into ensemble Khazret Imam. The mausoleum has the rectangular form, is topped with a dome on a cylindrical, slightly narrowed drum. The gravestone of the sheikh is located on the niche of the mausoleum. In spite of the fact that this building was under repair construction works several times, for the walls of ancient part of the mausoleum the burnt tiled bricks and belts of majolica inscriptions were used for decoration of mausoleum. The portal still has facing from glazed bricks and majolica. Gunch pandjars are inserted into windows. Gunch girikhi on soffits of niches were preserved (from previous decoration), the beginning of flat stalactites cells covering an ancient dome (6 lines) can be visible; the tomb of the sheikh is separated by type-setting wooden pandjara of two different constructions.
Mausoleum Kaffal-Shashi represents a rare version of the multichamber mausoleums - khanaka of the middle 16th century with dissymmetric lay-out; it has preserved a unique decor for Tashkent, it is majolica of 16th century with the historical inscription containing names of masters - architects and dates of construction. This monument represents is of high historical and art value. And in 40 meters from mausoleum Kaffal-Shashi there is earlier constructed mosque - namazgokh (middle of 19th c.), which is also included into ensemble Khazreti Imam. Its main facade enters into internal one, now, a small court yard. There is no exact historical data on time of construction of this mosque. It is only known that it was erected in the epoch of Kokand khanate (1st half of 19th c.). In the building of Tasheknt mosques - hamazgokh there is a dominant - the central volume of winter hall of the mosque from which the lowered parts of dome galleries depart: four passes in two lines of dome compartments in each part. They are shaded by wooden ayvan with columns, placed in rhythm of gallery pylons. Galleries themselves are blocked by unary spherical domes on thyroid sails. The lay-out of the mosque represents the lengthened rectangular, as a rule. The interior of the main volume represents the crosswise spacious hall, expanded with four niches, blocked by a dome (4 ?) on four crossed arches. The walls of the mosque are combined from burnt tile bricks. Facades are in black laying. The interiors of the mosque are not decorated. The unique detail of them is mikhrab niche in the main hall, small, flat, with stalactites - mukannas in the arch. On the top, there is carved pandjara. Now, the monument is under reconstruction, and certainly, some of its interiors are deformed. Now the Islamic Institute named after Imam Al Bukhari is located in this building.
Barrack-Khan Medreseh
Barrakh-Khan medreseh is located to the east from Chorsu market, among clay-walled buildings of the old city. In honour of Khan, this Medreseh has developed as a religious-memorial complex. It was under construction during several stages and has been completed in 1532 (2nd half of 16th c.). Medreseh has the court yard which is surrounded by one-storied khudjras. The main facade is allocated by a portal with half-octagonal niche, where the glazed tiles have been preserved. Medreseh construction represents strongly extended form from the east to the west trapezoid building around an oblong court yard. Inside, there were some of late burials among which, however, Barrack - khan was not present: data sources show that he died in 1556 and was buried in Samarkand. The mausoleum has centrically located portal-dome, with four angular rooms and cruciform hall. From the right side there is a board on the portal which says that here, inside the mausoleum, the residence of Mufti of Spiritual Board of Moslems of Uzbekistan is located. The complex is constructed from a fragmentary brick. The decor of facades has been allocated only on the main objects - entrance peshtak of medreseh, the portal and the dome of the mausoleum of Suyunidj-Khan. According to historical data, dome of the mausoleum has been covered with blue tiles; the drum of the dome was decorated by star girikh with figure of 8-faced stars, made of the mosaic. The decor of entrance peshtak of medreseh has now been restored. Timpan of an entrance arch is made from 6-faced majolica tiles, on which the vegetative ornament is put. It creates a uniform composition. The complex of medreseh has come up to nowadays with the big losses and deformations.
Mosque Jami
Mosque Jami is a basis of ensemble Registan located in the area of Chorsu square. Construction period is from 15-18th c. to the end of 19th c. It is a unique sample in Tashkent of Friday mosque of the domestic type exciting in Central Asia during the epoch of the late Middle Ages. The main building represents the cubic volume blocked by a dome with four windows in a low drum. East wall enters the court yard and is cut by a large arch. Dome is spherical without decor. The dome is based on spherical sails. A curve of arches - niches at the entrance aperture is lancet, not Central Asian but more likely Gothic abris.
The lay-out of the mosque is extended as a rectangular with large volume of the building at the end of a longitudinal axis to the east - west. By 18th c. the gallery surrounding the court yard of the mosque has collapsed, the main building was already ruined. Then, galleries were reconstructed into khudjras at he expense of Kaziy Ziyauddin. In 1888 the main building was also totally reconstructed at the expense of imperial treasury (subsequently the mosque has received the name "Imperial"). Only ancient construction plan basis and fragments of designs have been preserved at the best. The base is constructed from stones with adding of clay solution. Walls of the mosque and columns are from square burnt clay bricks, with crushed brick as a stone filling.
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