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60-734: The congregational mosque in the complex is one of the largest mosques in Central Asia, behind the Bibi Khanum Mosque in Samarkand , Uzbekistan, and the Great Mosque of Herat , Afghanistan . Both the Kalan Mosque and Minaret were initially commissioned by Arslan Khan in 1121, with the famed Kalan Minaret concluding construction in 1127. However, Genghis Khan destroyed the original Friday Mosque in 1220, leaving only

120-409: A "kosh", a unique square layout employed in 16th century Central Asian architecture defined by the spacing between both a mosque and a madrasah. The "kosh" created by the geometric spacing between mosque and madrasah augments the ornate façade of the Kalan Mosque and the magnitude of the opposing madrasah to imbue the individuals with a sense of majesty that reflected Ubaydullah's power. The place where

180-587: A community space. As a community space, it allows for prayer and social engagement. Congregational mosques have a crucial role in communities Islamic practices. The Qur'an does not state architectural parameters for a congregational mosque, and as a result there are both differences and similarities between congregational mosques of different regions. As all male members of the community are expected to attend Friday prayers, congregational mosques must be large enough to accommodate them and their size thus varies from community to community. The Qur'an does highlight that

240-509: Is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as jumu'ah . It can also host the Eid prayers in situations when there is no musalla or eidgah available nearby to host the prayers. In early Islamic history , the number of congregational mosques in one city was strictly limited. As cities and populations grew over time, it became more common for many mosques to host Friday prayers in

300-527: Is a vegetal twig inscribed in an arch and the other is a trefoil inscribed within a triangle. Finally, a turquoise band of tiled inscriptions lies directly underneath the three-layered stalactite decorations supporting the base of the lantern. Overall, the decorative aspects of the Kalan Minaret were primarily resultants of brickwork, fully displaying the versatile capability of the material despite its simple construction. The Kalan Mosque (Masjid-i Kalan)

360-514: Is often conflated with another word from the same root, jumu‘ah ( Arabic : جُمُعَة , lit.   'assembly, gathering'), a term which refers to the Friday noon prayers ( Arabic : صَلَاة الْجُمُعَة , romanized :  ṣalāṫ al-jumu‘ah , lit.   'prayer of assembly') or the Friday itself ( Arabic : يَوْم الْجُمُعَة , romanized :  yawm al-jumu‘ah , lit.   'day of assembly'). Since

420-615: The Emirate of Bukhara . The Manghits were non-Genghisid and took the Islamic title of Emir instead of Khan since their legitimacy was not based on descent from Genghis Khan. The first dynasty to rule the khanate was the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, which reigned from 1501 until 1598. They were a branch of the Shibanids and claimed descent from Genghis Khan through his son Jochi. The ancestor of

480-539: The Zarafshan Valley , Kulab , Jizzakh , and Ura Tepe . Within three years he was also able to subdue Zamin , Panjkent , and Falgar . Although Muhammad Rakhim Khan was not a descendant of Genghis Khan, through tough politics and good organization, he was able to achieve recognition of his power, ascend the throne and even take the title of Khan. Rahim Bi had to suppress the power of the local chieftains. He attacked Turghai Murad Burqut, ruler of Nurota and

540-595: The early periods of Islam , a functional distinction existed between large central mosques built and controlled by the state versus small local mosques built and maintained by the general population. In the early years of Islam, under the Rashidun caliphs and many of the Umayyad caliphs , each city generally had only one congregational mosque where Friday prayers were held, while smaller mosques for regular prayers were built in local neighbourhoods. In fact, in some parts of

600-546: The 15th century, under the Mamluks , the urban agglomeration of Cairo and Fustat had 130 congregational mosques. In fact, the city became so saturated with congregational mosques that by the late 15th century its rulers could rarely build new ones. A similar proliferation of congregational mosques occurred in the cities of Syria , Iraq , Iran , and Morocco , as well as in the newly conquered Constantinople ( Istanbul ) under Ottoman rule. Congregational mosques function as

660-584: The Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids . From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its capital during the reign of Ubaidullah Khan . The Khanate reached its greatest extent and influence under its penultimate Abu'l-Khayrid ruler, the scholarly Abdullah Khan II (r. 1557–1598). In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Khanate was ruled by the Janid dynasty (Astrakhanids or Toqay Timurids). They were

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720-538: The Bukhara Khanate dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. But the real growth of their power occurred after the appointment in 1712 of Khudayar-biy Manghit to the post of ataliq. His son Muhammad Hakim-biy took the post of divanbegi at the court of Abulfayz Khan. In 1715–1716, Khudayar-biy was removed from his post at the initiative of Ibrahim-parvanachi from the Uzbek family of keneges. In 1719–1720, after

780-492: The Bukhara Khanate. While Ubaidullah-khan was the khan of Maverannahr, his son Abdul-Aziz-khan was the khan of Bukhara. They considered Bukhara to be their family lot. They were patriots of Bukhara and cared for success of the city. That the governor of Bukhara in 1514 built such a grand mosque that could rival with the symbol of the royal Samakand, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque , shows a tendency to eventually make Bukhara

840-645: The Central Asian Turkic literary language, is currently kept in the Topkapi manuscript collection in Istanbul. The manuscript of his philosophical and religious work: "Bahr ul-Khudo", written in the Central Asian Turkic literary language in 1508, is located in London. Muhammad Shibani wrote poetry under the pseudonym "Shibani". He wrote a prose work called Risale-yi maarif-i Shibani. It was written in

900-465: The Islamic world such as in Egypt , Friday services were initially not permitted in villages and in other areas outside the main city where the congregational mosque stood. The ruler or governor of the city usually built his residence (the dar al-imara ) next to the congregational mosque, and in this early period the ruler also delivered the khutbah (Friday sermon) during Friday prayers. This practice

960-633: The Kalan Minaret untouched. The Kalan Mosque and Mir-i Arab Madrasah of the current day were commissioned in 1515 and 1535 respectively by Shibani Kahn's nephew Ubaydullah Khan after he and his father Mahmud Sultan gained authority over Bukhara. The Friday Mosque itself bears similarities to the Bibi Khanum mosque in Samarkand, and the layout of the complex conjoining the Mosque and the Madrasah creates

1020-989: The Mir-i-Arab as the sole functioning madrasah in Bukhara. Moreover, appreciation for the longstanding traditional use of the structure is evident especially during the time of the Soviet Union where the madrasah was one of only three centers that the Soviet Party allowed to continue operations. This effectively made the Mir-i-Arab the primary avenue for the Soviet Union's correspondence to the Muslim world. Congregational mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque ( Arabic : مَسْجِد جَامِع , masjid jāmi‘ , or simply: جَامِع , jāmi‘ ; Turkish : Cami ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque ( Arabic : جامع كبير , jāmi‘ kabir ; Turkish : Ulu Cami ),

1080-722: The Miyankal province between Samarqand and Bukhara. The latter was forced to accept Bukharan sovereignty. In 1753 Rahim Bi attacked Urgut and subjugated Shahr-i Sabz , Hissar, and Kulab. In 1754 he successfully incorporated Khujand , Tashkent , and Turkestan into the khanate. In November 1762, Bukharan armies conquered the town of Charjuy and subdued the Turkmen. Muhammad Shibani was fond of poetry, and Turkic language collections of his poetry are extant today. There are sources that Muhammad Shibani wrote poetry in both Turkic and Persian. The "Divan" of Muhammad Shibani's poems, written in

1140-578: The Shibani-nama, while the, Tawarikh-i Guzida-yi Nusrat-nama , was sponsored by the Khan himself. The Khan also inspired two Persian histories by Bina'i and Shadi, while patronizing the translations of six works from Persian into Chaghatai. In the Abu'l-Khayrid era in the Bukhara Khanate, Agha-i Buzurg or "Great Lady" was a famous scholarly woman- Sufi (she died in 1522–23), she was also called "Mastura Khatun". Abd al-Aziz Khan (1540–1550) established

1200-691: The Turkic-Chagatai language in 1507 shortly after his capture of Khorasan and is dedicated to his son, Muhammad Timur-Sultan (the manuscript is kept in Istanbul). Ubaydullah Khan was a very educated person, he skillfully recited the Koran and provided it with comments in the Turkic language, was a gifted singer and musician. The formation of the most significant court literary circle in Maverannahr in

1260-575: The architectural majesty of the Poi Kalan ensemble as a whole, the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah has continued to serve its original function up until the modern day, making it the only madrasah in Central Asia with such a longstanding use. Given the size of the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah and its continued use as a functioning madrasah over the years, other obsolete madrasah in Bukhara were eventually repurposed into makeshift shopping centers which left only

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1320-515: The army. In 1506 he died, being succeeded by his two sons (Badi' al-Zaman Mirza and Muzaffar Husayn Mirza). Despite their differences, they agreed to jointly field an army against the Uzbeks. They assembled their forces along the Murghab River , allying with Babur to crush Muhammad Shibani. In 1506 Shibani captured Balkh, and the allied Timurid force disintegrated on its own. Finally in 1507 he

1380-488: The assassination of Abulfayz Khan, the actual power was completely in the hands of Muhammad Rahim. Until 1756, the nominal rulers were the Ashtarkhanid babies Abdulmumin Khan (1747–1751), Ubaydallah Khan III (1751–1754) and Abulgazi Khan (1754–1756). Muhammad Rahim himself married the daughter of Abulfayz Khan. Under Mohammad Rahim Bi, the Bukhara Khanate was able to expand to the regions of Hissar , Samarqand , Urgut ,

1440-420: The axes of the courtyard with an even larger arched iwan denoting the east-facade of the main structure. As the structure extends inwards from the main building, the shape transitions from a square base into an octagon and eventually a cylindrical structure as one extends further into the area of the mihrab standing opposite of the east-facade. The interior of the structure consists of a hypostyle layout which meets

1500-438: The base of the structure before taking a three-year hiatus to allow the foundation to solidify. After this three-year period he then completed the minaret, with the solid foundation laid out allowing the minaret to achieve such grand stature. The monumental size of the Kalan Minaret is further complemented by an intricate set of decorations consisting primarily of brickwork techniques. Parallel bands of unique brick sculpting cover

1560-468: The burial traditions of the time period. By the 1630s, sovereigns no longer erected splendid mausoleums for themselves and for their relatives. Khans of Shaibanid dynasty were standard-bearers of Koran traditions and religion became so consequential that even a famed Khan in Ubaydullah was buried next to his mentor in his madrasah. As such, the wooden tomb of Ubaydullah-khan is situated in the middle of

1620-595: The capital of the Shaibanid state. By the construction of the Kalan Mosque, Ubaidullah-sultan started the formation of a new capital, rather than fighting for domination over Samarkand, which was always hostile to the Shaibanids. The Kalan Minaret (formally the Minâra-i Kalân or "Grand Minaret") was originally built alongside the foundation of the Kalan Mosque. It has largely persisted through time, acting as

1680-487: The cathedral mosque with the minaret . The greatness of the structures so amazed Genghis Khan , he mistakenly believed the mosque to be a khan's palace. Nevertheless, the building of the mosque was not spared by the fire, and for many years after the conflagration it lay in ruins. All that remained intact of the original building was the minaret Kalan (Minara-yi-Kalan). After the death of Shaibani-khan in 1510, most local rulers (emirs and sultans) only partially recognized

1740-476: The central government. The capital of the Shaibanid state was in Samarkand. In 1512 the nephew of Shaibani-khan, the young prince Muizz ad-Din Abu-l Gazi Ubaidullah , became sultan of Bukhara. He inherited the power from his father Mahmud-sultan, who was the cadet brother of Shaibani-khan and his faithful companion-in-arms. Until 1533, Ubaidullah-sultan was a successful governor of Bukhara, when he

1800-583: The city of Merv in 1510. Khorasan and Khwarazm were conquered by Iran and Samarqand was briefly lost to Babur in 1512. However, he was unable to establish his presence there for long and soon the Uzbeks were able to reclaim their lost territory. However, Khwarazm permanently became independent, becoming the Khanate of Khiva . It was ruled by the Arabshahids, another branch of the Shibanids. Khwarazm

1860-511: The complex Po-i-Kalan is located is the site of a few completely ruined buildings from the past. In pre-Islamic era there was a central cathedral for Zoroastrians. Since 713, at the site south of the Ark, several edifices of main cathedral mosque were built then razed, restored after fires and wars, and moved from place to place. In 1127, the Karakhanid ruler Arslan-khan completed construction on

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1920-517: The conflict between the two was the Battle of Sar-i Pul in the spring of 1501, which resulted in Babur's defeat. In 1505 Muhammad Shibani took Urgench after a 10-month siege, resulting in the annexation of Khwarazm. The ruler of Herat, Sultan Husayn Bayqara , attempted to launch a campaign to Transoxiana but it proved to be abortive. When he decided to take the field, he was no longer capable of leading

1980-399: The construction of the madrasah, Ubaydullah-khan was waging war against Iran. He managed to seize control of Herat several times, resulting in the capture of a great many captives. Eventually, Ubaydullah-khan sold three thousand of these Persian captives in order to provide the funding for the construction of the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah. The interior of the Mir-i-Arab serves as evidence of some of

2040-547: The country from war and strengthening his power. He had five sons: Muhammad Badal-biy, Kurban-mirahur (died in 1733), Muhammad Rahim, Yav Kashti-biy, Barat-sultan. His third son, Muhammad Rahim, joined Nadir Shah and participated in his further campaigns. Since 1740, the actual power in the Bukhara Khanate was in the hands of the last ataliqs from the Uzbek clan Manghit, Muhammad Hakim-biy (1740–1743), Muhammad Rakhim (1745–1753) and Daniyal-biy (1758–1785). The Bukhara khans turned out to be completely dependent on them. In 1747, after

2100-606: The districts of Qarakul , Wardanzi , Wabkent , and Ghijduwan were under the new Bukharan khan, Abu'l-Fayz. Other sources report that his authority didn't stretch beyond the Bukharan citadel. The Ashtarkhanids were replaced by the Uzbek Manghit dynasty , whose members ruled Bukhara until 1920. The beginning of the strengthening of the political influence of representatives of the Uzbek Manghit aristocracy in

2160-467: The emergence of the madrasa as a distinct institution during the 11th century, the congregational mosque was also the main venue for religious education by hosting halqa s (study circles). In later centuries, as the Islamic world became increasingly divided between different political states, as the Muslim population and the cities grew, and as new rulers wished to leave their mark of patronage, it became common to have multiple congregational mosques in

2220-534: The exterior of the minaret without a single repetition, and the lantern itself supports a sixteen arched rotunda. Additionally, a set of terra cotta stalactites surround the base of the lantern, serving as the visual transition from the narrow cylindrical shaft of the minaret to the expanded base of the lantern. These stalactites further contain two vegetal motifs mirroring the motifs developed in Sassanid art in Iran: one

2280-475: The famous historians, Abdurahman Tole, Muhammad Amin Bukhari, Mutribi should be noted. In the sources of the second half of the 17th century, the expression "92 Uzbek tribes" is used in relation to the part of the population of the Bukhara Khanate. After the assassination of Ubaydullah Khan on 18 March 1711, the Bukharan state disintegrated into multiple different principalities. According to Chekhovich, only

2340-431: The first half of the 16th century is associated with the name of Ubaydullah Khan. Ubaydullah Khan himself wrote poetry in Turkic, Persian and Arabic under the literary pseudonym Ubaydiy. A collection of his poems has survived to this day. Turkish historiography increased in the early 16th century, though their production were relatively few. Muhammad Shibani Khan's reign influenced one Chagatai's Turkish historical work,

2400-522: The flight of Ibrahim-bey from Bukhara, Khudayar-bey, who was in Balkh, was allowed to return to power, giving him the inheritance of Karshi, which was the result of the policy of his son Muhammad Hakim-bey. In 1721, Muhammad Hakim-biy was appointed ataliq. During the campaign of the Afsharid ruler of Persia Nadir Shah to Maverannahr in 1740, Muhammad Hakim-biy went to peace negotiations with him, thus saving

2460-487: The inscription Baqi Muhammad Bahadurkhan and the names of the first four caliphs. During this period, the Uzbek poet Turdy wrote critical poems and called for the unity of 92 tribal Uzbek people. The most famous Uzbek poet is Mashrab , writing in both Chagatai and Persian , who composed a number of poems in that are still popular today. In the 17th and early 18th centuries, historical works were written in Persian. Among

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2520-466: The internal courtyard through two hundred and eighty eight domes lining the inner courtyard. The Kalan Mosque is an entirely inwards facing build with its lack of exterior windows juxtaposed against the open courtyard in the center of the structure. Several kinds of decorative designs line the massive exterior of the Kalan Mosque. Upon reconstruction in 1515, the exterior walls were decorated with majolica and other ornamental tiles. The mihrab, iwans, and

2580-451: The last Genghisid descendants to rule Bukhara. In 1740, it was conquered by Nader Shah , the Shah of Iran . After his death in 1747, the khanate was controlled by the non-Genghisid descendants of the Uzbek emir Khudayar Bi, through the prime ministerial position of ataliq . In 1785, his descendant, Shah Murad , formalized the family's dynastic rule ( Manghit dynasty), and the khanate became

2640-406: The lecture halls that the four iwans function as. One particularly notable element of the madrasah structure is its ornate two-story facade covered by glazed mosaic tiles inspired again by late Timurid artwork. This facade directly faces the Kalan Mosque and is further flanked on either side by blue domes, adding to the aggrandizing effect of the Poi Kalan ensemble. In addition to its contribution to

2700-553: The mid-10th century had lost all political power, retained the privilege of designating congregational mosques in the city and of appointing their preachers. By the 11th century, the Arab writer and traveler Ibn Jubayr notes eleven congregational mosques in the city. In another example, Fustat , the predecessor of modern Cairo , was founded in the seventh century with just one congregational mosque (the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As ), but by

2760-525: The prayer hall has to accommodate the population of the community. Almost all congregational mosques feature a minbar , which is an elevated platform where the Friday sermon is given. The minbar is usually places near the qibla wall (the wall standing in the direction of prayer) and the mihrab . Khanate of Bukhara The Khanate of Bukhara (or Khanate of Bukhoro ) was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1501 to 1785, founded by

2820-405: The predominant visual landmark of the city of Bukhara as a whole. The minaret itself is constructed entirely out of baked bricks. It is a cylindrical structure with a wide base narrowing upwards towards its upper lantern, and has a height of about forty six meters and a diameter at the base of about nine meters. Legend dictates that during construction, the master builder, Bako, finished building only

2880-594: The ruling Abu'l-Khayrids, Abu'l Khayr Khan , established an empire that by the time of his death in 1469 stretched from Siberia to the Syr Darya river. He controlled the cities of Sighnaq , Suzaq, Arquq, Uzgend , and Yassi along the Syr Darya. However, the Uzbek tribes remained nomadic, living a life on the steppe, and Abu'l Khayr Khan had no interest in conquering the lands of Transoxiana or Khorasan . Following his death, his empire broke up into smaller pieces led by sultans and tribal chieftains. One of these units

2940-452: The same area. The full Arabic term for this kind of mosque is masjid jāmi‘ ( مَسْجِد جَامِع ), which is typically translated as "mosque of congregation" or "congregational mosque". "Congregational" is used to translate jāmi‘ ( جَامِع ), which comes from the Arabic root "ج - م - ع" which has a meaning ‘to bring together’ or ‘to unify’ (verbal form: جمع and يجمع ). In Arabic,

3000-677: The same city. Baghdad , the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate , had just two congregational mosques by the late 9th century: the Great Mosque of al-Mansur , located in the original Round City on the western shore of the Tigris River , and the Mosque of al-Mahdi , in the Rusafa quarter added on the eastern shore of the river. During the 10th century, the number of congregational mosques grew to six, compared to hundreds of other local regular mosques. The Abbasid caliphs, who had by

3060-514: The term is typically simplified to just jāmi‘ ( جَامِع ). Similarly, in Turkish the term cami ( Turkish pronunciation: [d͡ʒami] ) is used for the same purpose. As the distinction between a "congregational mosque" and other mosques has diminished in more recent history, the Arabic terms masjid and jami' have become more interchangeable. In non-Arab Muslim nations, the word jāmi‘ ("that which gathers, congregates or assembles")

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3120-425: The vault (gurhana) in the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah. In terms of design, the Mir-i-Arab has a rectangular courtyard with four inwards facing iwans, each one situated uniquely at the center-point of one of the rectangular edges. The exterior of the Mir-i-Arab spans 73 x 55 meters while the internal courtyard has dimensions of 37 x 33 meters. The interior of the structure also holds its own mosque and mausoleum in addition to

3180-462: The walls of the mosque are all decorated primarily with traditional artwork correspondent to the late Timurid period including blue and white tile mosaics, vegetal motifs, and patterned glazed brick lining the building. The construction of Mir-i-Arab Madrasah (Miri Arab Madrasah) is credited to Sheikh Abdullah Yamani of Yemen in 1535. Also known as Mir-i-Arab, he was considered the spiritual mentor of Ubaydullah Khan and his son Abdul-Aziz-khan. Prior to

3240-521: Was able to take Herat and the rest of the Timurid lands. By this time he ousted the Timurids from Qunduz , Balkh , Khorasan, Khwarazm , and other regions and incorporated them into his empire. However Shah Isma'il I of the newly founded Safavid Empire , wishing to conquer the Timurid lands for himself and enraged by Shibani's staunch Sunnism, invaded Khorasan and killed Mohammad Shibani outside

3300-407: Was briefly conquered by Ubaidullah Khan (1533–1539) but shortly after it became independent once again. The Janid dynasty (descendants of Astrakhanids ) ruled the Khanate from 1599 until 1747. Yar Muhammad and his family had escaped from Astrakhan after Astrakhan fell to Russians. He had a son named Jani Muhammad who had two sons named Baqi Muhammad and Vali Muhammad Khan from his wife, who

3360-510: Was completed in 1515 in the Khanate of Bukhara emulating the model of the mosque built in the time of Arslan Khan with the addition of a large blue dome atop the mihrab. The architectural style of the mosque also draws inspiration and clear analogs to the Bibi Khanum Mosque in Samarkand. The mosque itself is 130 x 81 meters and the impressive 30 meter height of the blue dome makes the structure particularly imposing. Four iwans lie on

3420-412: Was enthroned as a khan of the entire Shaibanid state, i.e. Khan of Maverannahr (Ma wara'u'n-nahr). In spite of this he refused to move his residence to Samarkand, the state capital. Moreover, he later made Bukhara the capital of the Shaibanid state. Afterwards, the state governed by Ubaidullah (Ubaidulla) received a new name, the Bukhara Khanate. Thus Ubaidullah-khan (gov. 1533–1539) became the first khan of

3480-425: Was inherited from the example of Muhammad and was passed on the caliphs after him. In the provinces, the local governors who ruled on behalf of the caliph were expected to deliver the khutbah for their local community. The minbar , a kind of pulpit from which the khutbah was traditionally given, also became a standard feature of congregational mosques by the early Abbasid period (late eighth century). Until

3540-616: Was led by Muhammad Shibani , Abu'l Khayr's grandson. He was well-educated, had great military intellect, and desired to conquer the sedentary lands of Mawarannahr for himself. In the 1490s Muhammad Shibani swept through Central Asia and conquered Samarqand, Bukhara, Tashkent , and Andijan from 1500 to 1503. One of his most ferocious enemies was Zahir ud-Din Muhammad Babur , the Timurid prince of Ferghana . He managed to briefly occupy Samarqand from Muhammad Shibani, and attempted on two other occasions to take it. A turning point in

3600-522: Was the daughter of the last Shaybanid ruler. The son of Din Muhammad Sultan – Baqi Muhammad Khan in 1599 defeated Pir Muhammad Khan II, who had lost his authority. He became the real founder of a new dynasty of Janids or Ashtarkhanids in the Bukhara Khanate (1599–1756). Baqi Muhammad Khan, despite his short reign, carried out administrative, tax and military reforms in the country, which contributed to its further development. He issued coins with

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