Dorut Tilavat complex in general - 4 general view of the 2 mausoleums

Dor-i-Tilavat (the place where the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

is read and recited) - in the center of

Shahrisabz Shahrisabz, lit. "Green City" in Persian, is a district-level city in Qashqadaryo Region in southern Uzbekistan. The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) has selected Shakhrisabz as its tourism capital for 2024. It is located approximately 80& ...

, in the west of the Darussiodat complex, there is a complex consisting of ancient structures belonging to the

Timurid dynasty The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani (), was the ruling dynasty of the Timurid Empire (1370–1507). It was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim dynasty or Barlās clan of Turco-Mongol originB.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in Encyclopaedia of I ...

- the tomb of Shamsuddin Kulol, Gumbazi Sayyidon, and the Blue Dome Mosque, built on the site of the old

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

here.

History

The mausoleum within the complex, established by Amir Timur, is the final resting place for Shaykh Shamsiddin Kulol, a revered spiritual leader who passed away in 1370. Later, his father, Amir Tarag'oy, was also interred by his feet. The construction of the mausoleum took place during the reign of

Ulugh Beg Mīrzā Muhammad Tarāghāy bin Shāhrukh (; ), better known as Ulugh Beg (; 22 March 1394 – 27 October 1449), was a Timurid sultan, as well as an astronomer and mathematician. Ulugh Beg was notable for his work in astronomy-related ma ...

. Adjacent to it, there is a mosque, and to the south, another mausoleum was built. Inscriptions within the mausoleum bear the words: "This mausoleum of the great saints (rulers) a summit in justice and knowledge, in religion and belief, there is no equal to the high and noble Hazrat Sultan

Karagi. It was constructed with the order of Allah for his sovereignty and rule to be long-lasting, 841 Hijri year," and these inscriptions have been preserved to this day. Inside the mausoleum, several saghanas (gravestones) have been placed, which were transferred from a supplementary cemetery in the 15th and 18th centuries. The names of certain virtuous Sayyids have been inscribed on some of these gravestones.

Completion of the complex in the reign of Ulugh Beg

During the reign of

(1394-1449), a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

with a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

was erected over the burial place of Shamsuddin Kulol. During

archeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology ...

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

, double walls of the mausoleum were discovered, which confirmed the indication in

historical source A historical source encompasses "every kind of evidence that human beings have left of their past activities — the written word and spoken word, the shape of the landscape and the material artefact, the fine arts as well as photography and film." ...

s that the basis for the

tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...

of Shamsuddin Kulol was the building of an old

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

of X-XII centuries. In 1435-1436 Ulugh Beg on behalf of his father Shahruh (according to the inscription on the portal) builds a mosque on the system of "kosh" - opposite Shamsuddin Kulol's mausoleum. The spacious square

hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...

of the new mosque was covered with a large dome covered with blue

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...

s. Therefore, the mosque was called Kok Gumboz ("Blue Dome") and played the role of Friday

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

mosque of

. To the right and left of the main room of the building were wings of canopies supported by pillars, which could accommodate a large number of worshippers. The entrance peshtak faces

east East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

. The decorative design was very restrained in contrast to other buildings of Ulugh Beg, with the inscription: "The rule belongs to Allah, wealth belongs to Allah". A small minaret was built in the courtyard part. The Dorut Tilavat complex received its final design in 1438. At that time, close to the mausoleum of Shamsuddin Kulol, Ulugh Beg began the

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

of a mausoleum for relatives and descendants of Ulugh Beg himself, as the inscription under the dome informs. The

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

is graceful, slender, with a high drum on which the outer dome, which was lancet at that time, rested. Ancient inscriptions on

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

tombstones A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...

mentioning the names of sayids have been preserved. Hence the name of the mausoleum - Gumbazi sayidon ("Sayid Dome"). Thus, around the closed inner courtyard of Dorut Tilavat

during XIV-XV centuries the united memorial complex was formed, which consists of Shamsuddin Kulol mausoleum, the madrasa itself with Emir Taragay gurkhana,

and

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

Structure

The current appearance of the Dorut Tilovat complex is described as a square with a total area of 500 m², and this area stands at a height of 2.25 meters above the city surface. Some of the architectural elements within the complex resemble those found in

Shah-i-Zinda Shah-i-Zinda (; , meaning "The Living King") is a necropolis in the north-eastern part of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. History The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of 11th – 15th and 19th centuries. The name Shah ...

. The Dorut Tilovat complex includes the mausoleum of Shamsuddin Kulol, the mausoleum of Gumbazi Sayidon, and the Kok Gumbaz Jami Mosque.

Shamsuddin Kulol Mausoleum

The mausoleum of Shamsuddin Kulol is considered the oldest structure within the complex. Its construction began in 1373 under the order of Amir Timur. The construction work was completed in 1374. According to

Sharaf al-Din Ali Yazdi Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi or Sharif al-Din Ali’ Yazdi (; died 1454, Yazd), also known by his pen name Sharaf, was a 15th-century Persian scholar who authored several works in the arts and sciences, including mathematics, astronomy, enigma, litera ...

, the cemetery of Shamsuddin Kulol, as well as the grave of Amirzoda Umarshaykh Mirzon, is also located at this site. This grave is located on the qibla side of the mausoleums of Shamsuddin Kulol and Amir Tarog'oy. In 1376, Amir Timur's eldest son, Mirzo Jahangir, was also buried at this location. Whenever Amir Timur visited the city of

, he and his family would visit the graves of Shamsuddin Kulol, his father Amir Tarog'oy, his son, and other relatives.

Gumbazi Sayidon Mausoleum

The Gumbazi Sayidon mausoleum is situated in the southern part of the Dorut Tilovat complex. The construction of the mausoleum's walls was completed between 1437 and 1438, and the mausoleum was built under the orders of Mirza Ulugh Beg.

Kok Gumbaz Jami Mosque

Located in the opposite direction from the mausoleums of Shamsuddin Kulol and Gumbazi Sayidon, the Kok Gumbaz Jami Mosque stands tall. This mosque was built under the rule of Mirzo Ulugh Beg, under the order of his father, Shahrukh Mirzo, who was the ruler of

Khurasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

. Various inscriptions were written on the walls of the mosque, including the ones in Suls and

Kufic The Kufic script () is a style of Arabic script, that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts ...

scripts.

Archaeological research

In the years 1994 to 1996, archaeological excavations revealed the remnants of decayed walls on either side of the Jame Mosque of Dorut Tilovat. These findings included the ruins of a

, a gatehouse, and portions of the walls surrounding the minaret. The restoration work was carried out on the mosque's facades, part of the madrasa, and the minaret in an effort to preserve and restore the historical appearance of the complex. Similar restoration efforts have also been conducted on the Kok Gumbaz and Gumbazi Sayidon

s.National Encyclopedia of Uzbekistan. The first volume. Tashkent, 2000

References

{{Reflist Madrasas in Uzbekistan Shahrisabz Mausoleums in Uzbekistan