Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah

This magnificent structure was erected in 1658, that is, almost 200 years later than the famous Ugulbek madrasah, nevertheless, these two buildings form a single architectural group with each other, completely different in style. The unique craftsmanship of the architects of that time is reflected in all its splendor in the exterior and interior of the religious educational institution named after Abdulaziz Khan.

The Peshtak portal, located in the building, impresses the imagination with its brightness and size. An iPhone in the shape of a hexagon, decorated with stalactites, attracts attention. This fundamentally distinguishes the building from the Ugulbek madrasah, which is known for its extremely simple appearance and the decoration of arches. The works of the most famous poets of the East are immortalized on the walls of the majestic building of Abdulaziz Khan, and the walls of the Ugulbek madrasah have preserved excerpts from the Koran.

The patterns decorating the Madrasah are very difficult to execute, intricate, and the ornament is catchy and unique. If you look closely, you can see the silhouette of a Semurg bird or the shape of a Chinese dragon among the numerous intertwining drawings. This theme can be traced due to the fact that Bukhara has been closely connected with the Great Silk Road for a long time.

At the same time, all kinds of decoration methods were intertwined in the decoration, which were only known to artists and architects of that time. Here you can find the finest marble carvings, majolica mosaics, brick tiles, and all kinds of paintings (gancha, paints on the plastered surface). There are even areas richly decorated with gilding (kundal).

Everything in the interior and exterior of the madrasah breathes luxury. A pair of mosques (winter and summer) are decorated expensively and richly. The first of them (winter) is located west of the central corridor, and the second is located in the courtyard area.

The classroom (darshan) also fascinates with the extraordinary paintings on the walls. Blue patterns applied on a white background look very organic. The plot of these ornaments is landscape, but in execution it resembles the patterns traditional for Chinese or Indian craftsmen.

But there are still unfinished corners in the madrasah. One part of the courtyard is not decorated, as well as the facade on the left. This did not happen by chance. Historians claim that once the ruler was absent from the country, and at that time there was an uprising and a coup d'etat. Due to such events in the state, the construction of the madrasah was suspended, and there was simply no one to complete the finishing.