Kutlugmurad Inak madrasah - an architectural monument in

Khiva Khiva ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva, Хива, ; other names) is a district-level city of approximately 93,000 people in Khorazm Region, Uzbekistan. According to archaeological data, the city was established around 2,500 years ago. In 1997, Khiva celebr ...

(1804–1812); it is a part of

Itchan Kala Itchan Kala () is the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. Since 1990, it has been protected as a World Heritage Site. The old town retains more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, dating primarily from the eighteenth or ...

Madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning ...

was built by

Allah Kuli Khan Allah Kuli Bahadur Khan (Turki and ) (c. 1794–1842), was the 5th Khan of the Uzbek Kungrat dynasty in the Khanate of Khiva. He reigned between 1825 and 1842. Biography Allah Kuli (or Quli) ascended the throne in 1825, upon the death of his fa ...

's uncle Kutlugmurad Inak; he was buried under the floor of the miyonsaroy (corridor) according to his will.

Description

In 1858, 95 students studied at this

madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning ...

. They were taught by 2 akhunds (teachers). In addition, there were positions of mutavwalli (head of the madrasa), imam, muezzin (caller of prayer), janitor who swept it, and barber who cut the hair and beard of the students. There was a large square in front of the madrasah, and there were stalls and a small market nearby. Students who graduated from the madrasa passed the exam. A "special commission" was formed by the Khan for the exam. The commission included sometimes the khan himself, in most cases the crown prince, qazi-kalan of Khiva (chief judge), Qazi-orda (city judge) and several other scholars. Students who passed the exam were given titles such as mufti, a'lam, akhund, muqarrar (madrasa librarian). Poets, historians,

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

s, scholars and intellectuals grew up among the students who graduated from this madrasa. Karakalpak poet Berdakh and poet Avaz Otar studied in this madrasa. Currently, an exhibition of products made by artisans are organized in the

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

of the madrasa.

Architecture

The madrasa has a rectangular layout (57x44 m), a mosque and a classroom (5x5 m layout), rooms (3x3 m), a

(31.8x27.8 m) and a

cistern A cistern (; , ; ) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster. Cisterns are disti ...

between the

(diameter 7.15 m). Kutlugmurad Inak madrasah is the first 2-story madrasa built in Khiva. It has 2 floors, 3 open arches, and the main style is open and majestic, which is not typical of Khiva madrasahs. The building is made of brick and clay, and the foundation is separated from the wall by wooden beams (the cistern is marble). The

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

in the style of a head and there are 3 arches in both sides of it, the corners are decorated with bouquets-like patterns; enter the mionsaray is through the gate. Mionsaray has 3 rooms, there are a madrasah and a classroom in 2 sides of it; the

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 ...

of the mosque and the classroom is connected to shield-shaped arches, the summer mosque is covered with a low dome, and the rooms are covered with a vaulted dome; the dome of the cistern is placed on a cylindrical

plinth A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

, and a circular passage (height 1.65 m, width 0.6 m) with an arch is made on the plinth. Kutlugmurad Inak madrasah is the only monument in Khiva that uses embossed decorations created by the printing method; the facade and mionsaray is decorated with colored carved ganch, the arches are filled with

muqarnas Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

; the windows are decorated with decorated fences; carved doors are a rare example of applied art (the dates of the building are written between the patterns). An underground reservoir was built in the

of the madrasa, from which the entire population of

received drinking water. A summer mosque was also built on the territory of the madrasa. Kutlugmurad Inak bequeathed to bury him in the madrasah he built after the death of him. According to the laws of this period, it was forbidden to bring a corpse into the city from outside the city. To bury Kutlugmurad Inak, the fortress wall was demolished in front of the madrasah. As a result, the road leading to the madrasah was opened, the corpse was brought through this road and buried under the gates of the madrasa. The castle wall was repaired again. According to some assumptions, the deceased may have been buried in the cave on the left side of the square in front of the madrasah.

References

{{coord missing, Uzbekistan Madrasas in Khiva Burial monuments and structures in Uzbekistan