Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Ulug Bek Madrassa and the Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassa

On our first full day in Bukhara we first visited the Ulug Bek Madrassa and the Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassa. They stand tall and proud right across from each other.

As we took our leisurely stroll through the city’s ancient sites, we noticed a certain way in which Bukhara exhibits its distinct character. The city, at least in this heritage area, shows a color theme reminiscent of the different shades of the golden sand of deserts. As compared to Samarkand, the structures here wear a more wholesome, natural front. It seems much less sophisticated, at first glance—the structures that make the heart of Bukhara’s history are much less elaborate in their decorative elements. They have an earthy appearance.

At every turn around our neighborhood hotel, we see buildings that are monuments, not yet restored and lying in their natural state of ruins. They are “under state protection” as many of the signs say. We passed through an earthy three-dome structure to arrive at the Ulug Bek Madrassa and the Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassa.

Photo: A lot of the state-protected buildings in Bukhara are not yet restored and identified.

The Ulug Bek Madrassa

The madrassa are Islamic institutions of higher learning. Although most madrassas are sites of religious learning, the Ulug Bek Madrassas offered education in secular studies, such as science, astronomy and math. The Ulug Bek Madrassa in Bukhara is no different.

Amir Timur’s grandson Ulug Bek has left quite a few exceptional legacies in Uzbekistan. Being a man of a scholarly nature, Ulug Bek was known first and foremost for his contributions in the field of astronomy, and his learnedness had global influence. Out of his lifelong scholarship emerged the establishment of three Ulug Bek Madrassas. One was in Samarkand as part of the Registan; this one in Bukhara and one is in Gijduvan.

The Ulug Bek Madrassa in Bukhara was built in 1417. In fact, this Ulug Bek Madrassa is the oldest of the three mentioned above. It was built before the one in Samarkand, and one of the oldest in Bukhara as well.

The Madrassa is beautiful restored – but on the outside only. We came into the courtyard and found the studio rooms to show quite a bit of dilapidation.

The lady who runs a souvenir store there told us a little about the way to tell the madrassa from other kinds of Islamic structures. Where you see small room layout throughout the structure, it is a madrassa, as those are the dorm rooms for students. The small rooms gave home to two students.

The inscription of the front portal says, “aspiration to knowledge is the duty of each Muslim man and woman.”  There is a museum on Bukhara calligraphy on site.

The Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassa

Not much is said about the Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassa. Suffice to say, that it was built in 1652, for Abd al-Aziz after his defeat of the Mughal army in Balkh.

The Madrassa is very beautiful with a grand portal, “the entire site is sumptuously decorated with mosaics in riotous colors and equally bright ganch stalactites.” (Bradt 242). It is said to have modeled after the Mir-I Arab Madrasa, which we visited after these two monuments.

The touring of these sites took about half an hour at most, because there is not much to see beyond the beautiful front portals. If you want to see the museum in the Ulug Bek Madrassa, it takes an additional 10 minutes or so.

Sources

Descriptions on site at the Ulug Bek Madrassa of Bukhara.

Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan, Bradt Travel Guide (2020).