Bibi Khanum Mosque in Samarkand. Bibi Khanum (“senior wife”) The idea of ​​​​creating the Biyi Khanum mosque

Panorama

The Bibi-Khanum Cathedral Mosque is perhaps the most grandiose building of medieval Samarkand, however, what appears today to the eyes of residents and guests of the city is the result of the enormous work of skilled restorers. The fact is that practically back in the 80s of the last century this architectural ensemble lay in ruins... Large-scale restoration began in the late eighties and early nineties; in about 15 years of intensive work, almost 80% of what needed restoration was restored . Restoration of the monument continues to this day.

But everything is in order...

Legend

Bibi-Khanum was Temur's most beloved wife and the most beautiful woman in his harem. When Temur left on one of his campaigns, she decided to give him a gift, and, at the same time, to perpetuate her name - to build a grandiose mosque, which in its size, splendor and decoration would surpass all existing buildings. So that the craftsmen and workers would not doubt that she had the means, the queen ordered to show them piles of gold and jewelry intended for construction. Work was in full swing. Bibi-Khanum appointed a young architect to supervise the work, and he, enchanted by the queen’s beauty, fell in love with her.

And now the mosque is almost built, only one huge portal arch remains. Bibi-Khanum visits buildings more and more often and urges the architect. But he is in no hurry: he knows that he will not see her again as soon as he completes the order.

Meanwhile, Temur sends news of his imminent return. Bibi-Khanum is looking forward to the completion of construction. But the daring architect sets a condition: the mosque will be finished if the queen allows herself to be kissed. The queen is angry: the architect has forgotten who she is! But the architect is relentless. Then Bibi-Khanum decides to use a trick; she orders eggs painted in different colors to be brought. “Look at these eggs, they are all different in appearance, but inside they are all the same. That’s how we are, women! I will give you any of my slaves that you want.” To this, the architect ordered two glasses to be brought: he filled one of them with ordinary water, the other with white wine. “Look at these two glasses, they look the same. But if I drink one, I won’t feel anything, if I drink the other, it will burn me. That’s love!”

And Temur is already approaching the capital. Bibi-Khanum is beside herself with frustration: the surprise she has cherished for so long and almost prepared for her husband may not work out. The queen does not dare allow this. She agrees to the kiss, but covers her face with her palm during the kiss. The kiss was so hot that it left a stain on the beauty's cheek.

And so Temur entered the capital, his admiring gaze saw the cathedral mosque in all its splendor - a gift from his beloved wife. Imagine Bibi-Khanum’s embarrassment when her perceptive husband noticed a spot on her cheek.

Here the story splits into two versions...

Version one

Death awaited the architect. Realizing this, he, together with his student, climbed one of the minarets of the newly built mosque. The warriors rushed there, but when they got up, they met only a student. “Where is the teacher?” they asked him. “The teacher made wings for himself and flew to Mashhad,” he answered...

Version two

The great conqueror was angry, but did not show his anger. He just summoned the master and ordered him to build a rich mausoleum underground, so that such a rich tomb would not exist in the whole world. Then the ruler ordered the great master to make a sarcophagus from a block of pink marble, and a gravestone from black jade, and to carve on the stone in Arabic writing a recipe for making glaze for domes. When everything was ready, Temur killed the master and buried him in a dungeon. He also ordered his treasures and the famous library, which he brought after a military campaign in Asia Minor, to be demolished in the dungeon. Then the entrance was walled up. Years passed. The grandson of the great lame man took possession of the dungeon plan. Ulugbek continued to replenish the library - so gradually the dungeon turned into one of the largest book depositories in the world. But Ulugbek died, and the dungeon plan disappeared...

Such is the legend.

But what was the situation in reality? Lovers of romance will be disappointed here. There are no reliable references to Tamerlane's wife with the name Bibi-Khanum. His eldest wife, a domineering elderly woman (about 60 years old) Sarai Mulk Khanum, after whom the mosque could be named, did not in any way resemble the beautiful heroine from a beautiful fairy tale. Moreover, Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, chamberlain of the King of Castile and Leon Henry III, who headed the embassy to the court of Temur, wrote in his Diary that the mosque was built by order of Temur himself in honor of the mother of his eldest wife Sarai Mulk Khanum, whom Clavijo called Caño. This is quite likely, because “Bibi” just means “mother”.

Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo: “The mosque that the lord ordered to be built in honor of the mother of his wife Caño was the most revered in the city. When it was finished, the lord was dissatisfied with the front wall, which was [too] low, and ordered it to be broken down. In front of it They dug two holes in order to dismantle the foundation through them, and to ensure that the work progressed, the lord said that he himself would undertake to supervise one part [of the work], and ordered two of his associates to observe the other half in order to know who would finish their task most quickly. The lord [at this time] was already decrepit, could neither walk nor ride, but [moved] only in a stretcher. And he ordered him to be brought there on a stretcher every day and remained there for some time, hurrying the workers. boiled meat there and throw it from above to those who worked in the pit, as if they were dogs. And when he threw [this meat] with his own hands, he encouraged [to work] that one cannot help but be surprised. Sometimes the lord ordered to throw it into the pits. money. And they worked on this construction day and night. This construction and the [construction of] the street were suspended [only] because it started snowing.”

Traditions say that Sarai Mulk Khanum supervised the construction of another building - opposite the mosque, which is called the Bibi Khanum mausoleum

The construction of the Bibi-Khanum mosque began in 1399 after the completion of Temur’s victorious campaign in India. The concept of the project was unprecedented for that time: the construction of the largest cathedral mosque in Central Asia and one of the largest in the entire Muslim world - the Bibi Khanum Mosque was supposed to eclipse everything Tamerlane had seen in other lands.

Architects, artists, craftsmen and artisans from many countries of the East were involved in the construction. Two hundred stonemasons from Azerbaijan, Fars, Hindustan and other countries worked in the mosque itself, and five hundred workers in the mountains near Penjikent worked to extract and cut the stone and send it to Samarkand. Masters and artisans, gathered and gathered from all over the world, brought their creative experience and traditions to the construction.

Legend: Bricks for construction were delivered from near Bukhara. He was passed in a human chain from hand to hand over a distance of 200 km. The master who was responsible for the masonry did not vouch for the material that was given to him and guaranteed the quality of the construction only from Bukhara. When bricks began to be transported from near Bukhara to Samarkand, there were frequent interruptions in delivery, and then it was decided to carry out delivery by a human chain.

In its original form, the mosque was a gigantic structure. Consisting of many buildings, it spread over an area of ​​more than 18,000 m2 (167x109 m). Oriented to the east, the tall, slender portal of the main entrance had a height of 36 meters (this is approximately the height of a 10-story building) and a width of 46 meters, inside there was a spacious courtyard with an area of ​​4,104 m2 (54x76 m), in the depths of the courtyard on its western side there was a monumental main mosque, standing on the central axis of the complex. The mosque was surrounded on all sides by walls; in the corners there were four tall multi-tiered round minarets. The two outer minarets on the western side of the complex were 32 meters high, the outer minarets at the main entrance were more than 70 meters high, and the minarets adjacent to the main entrance portal were almost 90 meters high. The hexagonal minarets on the sides of the entrance portal of the main mosque rose above medieval Samarkand to a height of more than 80 meters. The height of the main hall of the mosque was 41 m, the span of the entrance portal to the main mosque was 18 m. A gallery of 480 marble columns and supports ran along the perimeter of the courtyard. The buildings were erected from bricks measuring 27x27x5 cm, stacked on ganch. The entrance to the mosque was decorated with double-leaf gates, carved marble slabs and rich cladding. In the center of the courtyard there was a deep well, covered with a marble slab with a hole for water drainage (tashnau). One of Temur’s historians wrote about the tall and slender minarets: “The minaret raised its head towards the sky and proclaimed: “Truly our deeds point to us.” They already wrote about the dome of the mosque at that time: “Its dome would be the only one if the Milky Way were not its mate.”

Portal and arch of the main entrance

The question quite naturally arises: aren’t the heights of the minarets, portals and domes exaggerated? Today it is possible to build super-high-rise structures without fear of their destruction, but in those days? But even if museum and historical sources exaggerate the heights of the buildings of the Bibi-Khanum complex, it was an impressive monumental structure, far ahead of its time in design.

After construction was completed in 1404, the mosque attracted the attention of many poets with its grandeur. In its beauty and radiance, Bibi-Khanum was compared, as already mentioned, with the Milky Way. However, Temur was dissatisfied with the construction and in anger ordered the arrest of the nobles - Khoja Mahmud David and Muhammad Diseld, who headed the construction (judging by the names, these were immigrants from Western Europe, and, perhaps, converted to Islam, but this is only an assumption). They were hanged behind the Siab canal, at the foot of Chupan-Ata.

General view of the mosque on Mount Chapan-Ata. Photographer S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky. Date of shooting 1905-1915.

Soon after construction was completed, as soon as the mosque became a place of worship, it began to collapse. Bibi-Khanum was built on a large scale, but without taking into account such an increase in the size of the seismicity of the region, in addition, medieval builders did not have the scientific knowledge, technologies and materials that would allow the construction of such grandiose high-rise structures. Despite the deep foundations of torn stone, the huge masses of brickwork in the walls, the thickness of which reached five meters, already during Temur’s lifetime stones began to fall on the worshipers from the cracked dome. The architect's idea was very daring - he decided to implement a technically complex architectural idea for that time. But perhaps there was a deeper meaning to this destruction.

From history we know that many rulers built temples in an attempt to please God. It is likely that the Bibi Khanum Mosque was a thank you offering to God from the emperor for the successful campaign in India. But it is also very likely that this structure was a sacrifice to atone for sins. The Indian campaign is known as one of the most brutal - Tamerlane left traces of carnage all along his way to Delhi, and he razed the city itself, killing up to 100,000 of its inhabitants. How everything really happened will forever remain a mystery to us. At the very least, it seems very likely that God did not accept this sacrifice. Until the end of the twentieth century, the ruins of the Bibi Khanum mosque were a very good illustration of the words of the prophet, who said: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Time has not been kind to Bibi-Khanum, turning the once majestic architectural complex into pitiful ruins, but the enormous work of historians, archaeologists, and art historians gives us the opportunity to imagine the original appearance of the mosque. One of the characteristic features of architectural ensembles of that period is the enormous size and proportionality of the compositional parts of the ensemble, of which Bibi-Khanum is an excellent example. It is noteworthy that the dome of the mosque, which could be seen for many kilometers when approaching Samarkand, was not visible from the main entrance, since the height of the dome was equal to the height of the portal.

The outer walls and three corner minarets were not preserved (meaning, by the time of radical restoration at the end of the twentieth century), only on the northwestern side stood a lonely minaret 20 meters high, badly damaged during the earthquake of 1897, its upper part threatened to fall was dismantled that same year. At the same time, during an earthquake, a significant part of the marble-clad portal of the main entrance was destroyed. As a result, only ruins remained of the monumental and integral structure in its composition.

Bibi Khanum Mosque. Photo from the beginning of the 20th century.

The building of the large mosque was made using the majolica technique in combination with unglazed bricks and carved mosaics, decorated with the finest floral, geometric and epigraphic ornaments. The interior of the mosque was decorated with ornamental paintings on the plaster on the walls and gilded papier-mâché on the inside of the dome. The external decoration of small mosques was inferior to the decor of the large mosque - this is an architectural technique, the meaning of which is the desire to emphasize the dominant significance of the main building. The decorative design of the building concentrated all the best that had been achieved by the craftsmen by the beginning of the 15th century: majolica and carved mosaics, carved marble, carved wood, painting on plaster and papier-mâché decoration. This was a new stage in the development of traditional mosques of the Middle Ages. The innovation of architects is also reflected in the desire for extreme harmony of forms. Many things are striking - double domes elevated on drums, needles of minarets (the original minarets were multi-tiered), high portals, towers, elegant marble columns of galleries with a vaulted ceiling. There is an introduction of the vertical as the most important element of architecture.

The once magnificently decorated courtyard was paved with marble slabs and ceramic mosaics. Temur's grandson Ulugbek installed a huge marble music stand inside the main building, intended for the Koran and moved in 1875 to the middle of the courtyard.

Lyaukh - stand for the Koran

To the east of the mosque, across the road, in Guzarsky Lane, there is an original monument - the octagonal pillar-shaped mausoleum of Bibi-Khanum with a crypt. This building does not have a main facade; it was apparently attached to Bibi-Khanum, and as already mentioned, the construction of this mausoleum was supervised by Temur’s eldest wife Sarai Mulk Khanum.

Mausoleum of Bibi-Khanum

The decoration of the mausoleum indicates the simultaneity of its construction with the mosque. In the spacious crypt, marble sarcophagi are installed on the floor. When they were opened in 1941, the remains of two other middle-aged women in rich clothes were discovered. It is possible that one of them was Sarai Mulk Khanum.

In the first years of Soviet power, the question of complete restoration of the Bibi-Khanum Mosque was raised. However, at first the work only affected the improvement of the monument: benches were demolished and the area around the mosque was cleared. The technical restoration of this monument required, in addition to large material costs, a preliminary and in-depth study of it. In the 20-30s of the 20th century, works appeared that more fully covered the history of the monument; measurements of the parts remaining on the surface were made, the area of ​​the courtyard was examined, and extensive work was carried out to record the paintings of the mosque. Subsequently, as a result of a detailed archaeological and architectural study of the building, a project was drawn up for the graphic restoration of the mosque, created in due time by the best craftsmen of that time.

In 1968, extensive work began on the conservation and preservation of the entire complex of Bibi-Khanum buildings, but the process dragged on for almost three decades, and only by the beginning of the 2003 tourist season, restorers presented the almost completely restored structure to the residents and guests of Samarkand. In recent years, restoration work has been carried out under the leadership of chief engineer Khodikhon Akobirov.

So what was done...

The arch of the main portal was rebuilt, it was destroyed approximately half of its height, i.e. only a half-vault was preserved (see retro photo).

The lower marble frame is all original, the old cladding is immediately visible - it is darker. Three corner minarets were re-erected and faced, with the exception of the fourth, partially preserved one - the northwestern one, its facing is also completely new. During the reconstruction, the height of the minarets was made less than the original ones: the westernmost and easternmost minarets are 20 meters high, the height of the minarets adjacent to the main entrance portal is 37 meters, the hexagonal minarets on the sides of the entrance portal of the main mosque are 47 meters. The dome of the mosque and its upper part (the base of the dome) were rebuilt, and the domes of the side mosques were also completely restored. The walls on the side of the mosques were practically not preserved; they had to be erected and re-clad. On the main mosque, approximately 90% of the cladding had to be restored; the original cladding is darker; in the photograph you can immediately distinguish it from the modern one. In addition, along the perimeter of the mosque, the cultural layer that had formed over 600 years was removed. Currently, restoration and restoration work continues, the upper part of the arch of the main portal and part of the walls of the main mosque have not yet been lined, and restoration work continues inside the mosque and in its premises.

Bibi-Khanim. Detail of the northeast side. Photographer S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky. Date of shooting 1905-1915.

Main mosque. The original ornament is darker, the rest is modern reconstruction

Bibi Khanum Cathedral Mosque

One can argue and talk a lot about the quality of restoration work, but the fact remains that now Samarkand does not greet its guests entering the city from Tashkent with ruins - the Bibi Khanum Cathedral Mosque is an immortal masterpiece of architecture of the Muslim East.

Confession Islam Construction - years Bibi Khanum on Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 39°39′38″ n. w. /  66°58′47″ E. d. 39.660556° s. w.39.660556 , 66.979722

Bibi Khanum 66.979722° E. d. (G) (O) (I) or Bibi Hanim(lit. "senior princess") (early name -

Masjidi Jami

The mosque was erected by order of Tamerlane after his victorious campaign in India. Construction began in May of this year. Timur himself chose the location of the future mosque. Craftsmen from various countries were involved in the construction: India, Iran, Khorezm, and the Golden Horde. By September of the year, the main part of the complex had already been built. In the courtyard of the mosque, 10 thousand people could pray at the same time.

According to legend, the mosque got its name in honor of Tamerlane’s beloved wife. Returning from the victorious Indian campaign, Timur in 1399 undertook the construction of a cathedral mosque for Friday prayers, which rumor gave the name Bibi Khanum. According to sources: “On Sunday - the 4th of the month of Ramadan 801 (1399 of our chronology), skilled engineers and experienced craftsmen, at an hour lucky and predicted by the stars, laid the foundation for the building. Two hundred stonemasons from Azerbaijan, Fars, Hindustan and other countries worked in the mosque itself, and 500 people in the mountains worked hard to cut the stone and send it to the city. Artels of masters and artisans, having gathered from all over the world at the foot of the throne, each made as thorough an effort as possible in their field. To concentrate materials, 95 mountain-like elephants were delivered from Indian countries to Samarkand and put into action.” To speed up the work, Timur entrusted supervision of individual sections of construction to various princes and emirs, who tried to show their zeal with efficiency. The portal arch, the main building of the mosque, walls and arcades were built by teams of craftsmen, who were directed by the chief builder, who had a three-dimensional model of the structure. Old miniatures tell about this. Timur monitored the construction of the mosque for only a few months, but he was soon distracted for years by a new military campaign - this time against the Ottoman Empire. Construction continued without him. Popular fantasy created several legends about this period.

Legends

They said that the Emir’s wife, the beautiful Bibi Khanum, planned to build him a mosque, which the world had never seen, as a gift for her husband’s return. Minarets were built, a forest of white marble columns grew around a spacious courtyard, and a blue dome rivaled the vault of heaven. All that remained was to close the high arch of the portal. But the young architect hesitated, because he loved Bibi-khanum, and the completion of construction inevitably meant eternal separation from her. Meanwhile, the king was already approaching Samarkand and, in his impatience, sent messengers. Bibi Khanum begged the builder to advance the work, but he demanded a reward unprecedented in its audacity - the right to kiss the queen. Reasonable Bibi-khanum, resisting, convinced him that women were all the same, like painted eggs. To prove this, the observant queen sent the stubborn lover a whole dish of multi-colored eggs, advising him to peel them and compare them, and, once convinced, to calm down and kiss any court beauty. Nothing helped! And the queen had to give in, turning her pretty cheek. At the decisive moment, however, she managed to shield herself with her hand (according to other sources, with a pillow), but the heat of the kiss was so strong that it burned through all the barriers and left a spot on Bibi-khanum’s pink face. It was he who, having thoroughly admired the new mosque, was immediately noticed by the returning ruler. They rushed to catch the tempter, but it turned out that he had wings and flew away long ago. So - in the legend, but in life everything was different. Returning from a long campaign, Timur was furious that the portal of his mosque was not as majestic as he wanted, and, in any case, lower than the madrasah that stood opposite, built by his main wife Sarai-mulk khanum, the one whom legend calls Bibi -hanim. Timur's venerable wife was over sixty at that time, and it is unlikely that her charms could unsettle anyone.

Last stage of construction

Timur, who visited the mosque in September 1404, was angry and ordered the execution of the nobleman who oversaw the construction. The Lord ordered to destroy the entrance portal and build a new one. They dug holes near the foundation and dismantled the masonry so that the foundations would lose their support and collapse. Timur was sick, but he ordered to be carried to where the work was going on. “Then he ordered,” de Clavijo writes in his diary, “to bring boiled meat there and throw it to those who worked in the pit, just like dogs; sometimes he himself threw meat with his own hands and excited the workers so much that it was surprising; sometimes he ordered money to be thrown into the pits. They also worked on this building day and night; it stopped, as did the work on the street, because snow began to fall.” A powerful arch was thrown over the central opening. The huge double dome extended at a height of forty meters. The courtyard with the well was surrounded by a whole forest of columns, built in four and nine rows. Tens of thousands of believers spread their rugs in their shade during the Friday afternoon prayers. In the wide and now truly grandiose portal, trimmed with carved marble, gate panels cast from seven metals, where there was gold and silver, were reinforced. When they were opened, the thin metal vibrated, and its ringing echoed the calls flying from the minarets. From under the main dome, where the light of countless lamps and chandeliers could not dispel the eternal darkness, the measured voice of the imam was heard from the stepped minbar, reading the sacred suras of the Koran. No wonder Sherif-ad-din-al-Yazdi said: “If you are looking for comparisons for the arch of its maksura, nothing can be said other than the Milky Way and the vault of heaven. The dome would be the only one if the sky were not its repetition, and the arch would be the only one if the Milky Way were not its mate. The sound of its huge gates, composed of an alloy of seven metals, calls the worshipers of the seven climates to the house of Islam. The shine from the radiance of the letters and words of the “Cave” sura and other wonderful verses of the Koran on its walls.”

From the complementary Bibi Khanum madrasah Saray-mulk xanim The corner octagonal mausoleum with tiled and painted decor has been preserved.

The mosque has a courtyard composition (78x64 m). Along the main axis of the rectangular courtyard there is a main entrance portal and in the depths the main domed volume - the mosque premises. On the transverse axis of the courtyard there are two identical portal-domed buildings. All these 4 main volumes are united by a multi-domed gallery on 400 stone columns.

The mosque buildings were largely restored during the years of independence of Uzbekistan.

Cathedral Mosque of Timur

Notes

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  • Samarkand in photographs. Album "Bibi-Khanum Cathedral Mosque"

Bibi Khanum (Uzbekistan) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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Without exaggeration, we can say that Bibi Khanum is one of the largest and most significant religious monuments of the Islamic world, and certainly the largest mosque in all of Central Asia. You understand this best when you find yourself near its ancient and majestic walls, right opposite the portal called the “Milky Way”. Immediately outside the gate rises the gigantic monumental building of the main mosque, which was also spoken about with a fair amount of poetry, saying that “the domes eclipse the sky itself.” In general, this complex cannot be denied poetry and even romance - there are so many beautiful stories and beliefs about this place. Not all of Bibi Khanum’s buildings have survived to this day, but what was lost is gradually being restored and is imperceptibly and organically intertwined with the original, just as fairy tales and true stories are intertwined in local fascinating stories.

There are many legends and the most amazing stories about how the famous and majestic Bibi Khanum mosque (or, as it is also called, Bibi Khanum) appeared in Samarkand. So, according to one of them, the mosque was built in honor of the mother of Timur’s wife. By the way, confirmation of this version is found in the travel notes of the traveler from Spain Rui Clavijo. Another version tells us that Tamerlane’s beloved wife decided to surprise her husband, who had returned from another campaign, by building a mosque.

The emir's wife managed to erect minarets soaring into the blue heights; its majestic domes could compete in beauty with the sky itself, and the vast courtyard was framed by dazzling white columns. The victorious Timur was already not far from Samarkand, but the arch that formed the entrance to the territory of the mosque was not ready. And for good reason: the young architect who supervised the construction deliberately took his time with the completion, because he did not want to part with Tamerlane’s wife Bibi Khanum, with whom he had fallen in love. True, Bibi Khanum had somewhat opposite feelings towards the young talent - she was furious at such a slow progress of the work. Then the daring young man said that he would finish the construction on time if the ruler’s wife kissed him. The princess refused for a long time, tried to convince her lover and slip him numerous court beauties in her place. However, he turned out to be a very “tough nut to crack” and did not give in to any persuasion. As a result, Bibi Khanim, realizing that nothing could be done with this stubborn, donkey-like young man, allowed herself to be kissed. The kiss was so hot that it left a small spot on the cheek of Tamerlane's wife. When the husband finally arrived in the city and saw traces of the kiss, he flew into a rage and ordered to seize the insolent man, who by that time was already very far from Samarkand.

Not all of Bibi Khanum’s buildings have survived to this day, but what was lost is gradually being restored and is imperceptibly and organically intertwined with the original, just as fairy tales and true stories are intertwined in local fascinating stories.

However, learned historians agree that this magnificent building arose here, like many others in Samarkand, during the reign of Amir Timur. According to this version, after Tamerlane returned from a glorious campaign in India, where he won a brilliant victory, the ruler ordered the construction of a mosque and gave it a name in honor of his beloved wife. The construction of this grandiose structure began in May 1399, precisely on the spot that Timur himself chose. Craftsmen and architects from many eastern countries were involved in the construction and decoration of the mosque, and it must be said that all of them were great experts in their field. Representatives of Azerbaijan, Hindustan, Khorasan, Fars and many other lands worked here. In addition, about five thousand more people worked in the quarries, from where the stone was delivered to Samarkand. But there were few people, and therefore about a hundred elephants were brought here from India. Thanks to all these titanic efforts, the mosque was built in a very short time for that time - in just five years. Which, given its truly grandiose scope, seems like a complete trifle. But, surprisingly, this building, beautifully executed in terms of decor and architecture, was not liked by the customer. Impulsive and quick to kill, Tamerlane ordered the arrest of Khoja Mahmud David and Muhammad, who supervised the construction of the religious building. Perhaps Tamerlane was not so wrong. Since the complex was designed without taking into account the seismic hazard of the zone, which, however, was simply impossible to calculate at that time. But the fact remains, and richly decorated stone pieces fell on the heads of numerous worshipers more than once during Timur’s lifetime.

Bibi Khanum

Exterior and interior of Bibi Khanum

Once upon a time, all the buildings of the mosque were united, and all thanks to a gallery with 480 marble columns. The main entrance portal was located on the eastern side of the courtyard, its height reached 33 m and its width more than 45 m. The entrance to the main mosque, which was located directly opposite the portal, was decorated with massive metal gates and marble slabs with intricate carvings. At each corner of the mosque there were multi-tiered minarets, there were four in total. Unfortunately, out of all the variety of structures of this complex, only five have survived to this day: a portal, a large mosque and two small ones, as well as one of the minarets.

Another attraction is an impressive-looking marble pedestal, on which the Koran once stood, created under Tamerlane’s grandson, Ulugbek. There is another belief associated with this place.

If a woman wants to get pregnant, then she should come here and pray in this very place about her deepest desire.

Thanks to the painstaking and, without exaggeration, titanic work of specialists, almost everything that can be seen in Bibi Khanum is in excellent condition. The walls of this amazing complex, like several centuries ago, are decorated with the finest ornaments created with great skill. The arch of the main portal, once destroyed by more than half, was, frankly speaking, not small in size, was restored. The decor of this majestic portal has been partially replaced. The difference can be seen in color - the original ornament is darker than the new one. The minarets were also re-erected here, now there are three of them again, as there once were. And the one that outlived its “brothers” was updated and re-faced. However, it should be noted that the current minarets are slightly lower than those that were erected several centuries ago. Knowing this, you can once again admire the skill of the architects of that time. The reconstruction also affected the dome of the main mosque, which today shines almost brighter than the sky. The domes of the two side mosques did not go unnoticed. It is interesting that the interior decoration of the main temple is much more magnificent and richer than the side ones. This was done on purpose in order to emphasize the beauty and luxury of the first one.

Address: st. Tashkent, Samarkand.

Most of the ancient buildings in Samarkand are grand in size. But Bibi Khanum is a macrocosm. Standing in the center of this empty, silent giant complex, I experienced mystical horror and shock from the beauty and size of the walls rising around me.
In the photograph, in the distance near the huge door, a black speck is our driver, a man of no small stature.

“The Bibi Khanum Mosque is the largest in Central Asia and one of the largest in the entire Muslim world. ... If we turn to Western Europe, then, almost coinciding in construction time, the Gothic Cathedral of Milan, the largest among other cathedrals, turns out to be almost equal in plan to the Bibi Khanum Mosque.”

“In its original form, the mosque was a gigantic structure consisting of many buildings. It was surrounded on all sides by walls, and there were four tall round minarets in the corners. The outer walls and three corner minarets have not survived; only on the northwestern side does a dilapidated minaret rise alone; its upper part, which threatened to fall, was dismantled in 1897. All the buildings were once united into a single compositional whole by a covered gallery with several rows of stone columns.”

There are 114 cells in the building - according to the number of suras of the Koran, in which students studying theology lived.

“On the eastern side of the vast courtyard, which had the shape of a rectangle (62x83 meters), there is the main entrance portal (peshtak), 33.15 meters high. Opposite it is the large building of the main mosque; its total height from the ground to its highest extant point is 36.65 meters. On the northern and southern sides, domed buildings of small mosques are placed one against the other.”

- This is the Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum, which served as a tomb for women from the Timurid dynasty. In 1941, the grave in the mausoleum was opened. “In a stone sarcophagus, the skeleton of a young woman who died early was discovered, preserving traces of skin and hair on the skull, layers of skin in the abdomen and fossilized cover in the lower part of both legs. The famous anthropologist M. M. Gerasimov restored the portrait of this woman.”

“The once magnificently decorated courtyard was paved with marble slabs and ceramic mosaics. Ulugbek installed a huge marble music stand inside the main building, intended for the Koran and moved in 1875 to the middle of the courtyard.”

We wondered where the Koran itself was of such gigantic size, and decided that it was in the Timurid Museum in Tashkent - there was a Book of the appropriate size.

However, the history of the Koran turned out to be not so simple, so I will give an excerpt from the article “Kaffal Ash-Shashi and the Koran of Caliph Osman” by Andrei Kudryashov. Source advantour.com

Briefly, I retold this story to my fellow travelers in Samarkand:

“... Folk legends also connect Kaffal al-Shashi (the first of the patron saints of Tashkent) with the acquisition by the Muslims of Movarounnahr of a priceless relic - the Koran of Caliph Osman, today stored in an armored safe of the Muftiate library.

In the Islamic tradition, it is generally accepted that the original and uncreated Quran was revealed to Muhammad by Allah himself through the archangel Jebrail, who on the 27th day of the holy month of Ramadan transferred it to the lower heaven closest to the earth, from where the archangel transmitted its revelations to the Prophet for many years. During the life of Muhammad, there was no urgent need for the written text of the Koran, since it was always possible to obtain oral explanations from the Prophet on any issue. But already during the time of the righteous caliphs, the first disagreements and misconceptions began to arise in the Muslim community. At the same time, due to zeal in jihad - the war for the spread of faith, the number of people who personally heard and remembered the sermons of the founder of Islam rapidly decreased.

In 650, the third Caliph Osman instructed the adopted son and former personal secretary of Muhammad, the scribe Zeid ibn Thabit, to collect all the records of the Prophet's sermons and compile them into a single Book. In parallel with this work, four more of his assistants were busy collecting notes and interviewing people, compiling four more versions of the text. The texts were then compiled through careful comparison into one, which was canonized. Only a few copies were made from it, and all other versions and drafts were burned.

The compilation of the text of the Koran was completed more than on time. In 656, crowds of rebels who gathered in Medina under the guise of pilgrims broke into the caliph's palace and hacked him to death with swords. According to legend, at the time of his death, Osman continued to read one of the canonical copies of the Koran, the pages of which were stained with his blood.

From that moment on, the Koran of Osman became a sacred relic, which was always at the court of the following caliphs, first in Medina, then in Damascus and Baghdad. The various religious movements and sects that subsequently emerged within the caliphate, at best, could deny certain passages of the holy book, claiming that they were distorted by the scribes by mistake or even by the malicious intent of the caliph, who, for example, is still not revered by the Shiites - supporters of the hereditary power of the clan Ali. But they could no longer contrast other sacred texts with Osman’s Koran.

Historians do not know the exact fate of all the manuscripts after the Mongol Ilkhan Hulagu captured Baghdad in 1258 and executed Caliph al-Musta'sim and many of his associates. But in the 15th century, the Koran with dried blood stains appeared in Samarkand. At first it was kept at the court of Amir Temur’s grandson, Mirzo Ulugbek, for which he ordered the making of a giant marble stand in the courtyard of the Bibi Khanum mausoleum, then it ended up in the mosque of Sheikh Khoja Akhror, a native of Tashkent.

When in 1868 Samarkand was occupied by the troops of the Russian Empire and included in the Turkestan General Government, the head of the Zeravshan district, Major General Abramov, having learned about the existence of a unique manuscript, removed it from the mosque, paying the inconsolable caretakers 100 gold rubles as compensation. The Koran was then transported by Abramov to Tashkent to Governor-General Konstantin Petrovich von Kaufman, who a year later donated it to the Imperial Public Library of St. Petersburg.

Despite all the doubts about the authenticity of Osman's Koran, Russian scientists who studied this book came to the conclusion that it could actually have been created in the 7th or 8th century on the territory of modern Iraq.

In December 1917, the Regional Muslim Congress of the Petrograd National District appealed to the People's Commissariat for National Affairs with a request to return the sacred relic to Muslims, receiving five days later a resolution from the People's Commissar of Education Lunacharsky: “Release immediately,” after which Osman's Koran was transferred to the All-Russian Muslim Council, which was then in Ufa. From there it was transferred to Tashkent in 1924, then returned to Samarkand, to the Khoja Akhror mosque. In 1941, the relic was transported for storage to the Museum of the History of the Peoples of Uzbekistan in Tashkent. In the early 90s, after Uzbekistan gained state sovereignty, the relic was presented to the mufti by Islam Karimov in front of a huge crowd of people on Khast Imam Square.
It still remains a mystery how Osman’s Koran came to Movarounnahr. According to the most common version, the relic was found during the capture in 1393 by the troops of Amir Temur, who was collecting a library of valuable manuscripts in his capital Samarkand. Within the Naqshbandiya Sufi order, whose head in the 15th century was Sheikh Khoja Akhror, there is a legend that it was obtained by brave and cunning dervishes in troubled times after the Mongol invasions. But among the residents of Tashkent, who consider Kaffal Shashi the first patron of the city, a much more popular folk legend is that the saint simply brought the Koran from Baghdad, receiving it as a gift from the caliph himself for some service. Strictly speaking, this version, unless we are talking about one of the copies of the unique Koran, looks unlikely. On the other hand, it reflects the love and respect that Abu Bakr Ismail Kaffal al-Shashi enjoyed in Tashkent at all times.”

serafimovna beautiful post about this Quran >>

But let's return to the secrets of Bibi-Khanum.
Legends about Bibi-Khanum that are told to tourists:

“Bibi-Khanym was Timur’s most beloved wife and the most beautiful woman in his harem. When Timur left on one of his campaigns, it occurred to her to give him a gift and, at the same time, to perpetuate her name - to build a grandiose mosque that would surpass all existing buildings in its size, splendor and decoration. So that the craftsmen and workers would not doubt that she had the means, the queen ordered to show them piles of gold and jewelry intended for construction.
Work was in full swing. She put a young architect in charge of the work, and he, enchanted by the queen’s beauty, fell in love with her. And now the mosque is almost built, only one huge portal arch remains. Bibi-Khanym visits buildings more and more often and hurries the architect. But he is in no hurry: he knows that he will not see her again as soon as he fulfills the order. Meanwhile, Timur sends news of his imminent return. Bibi-Khanim is looking forward to the completion of construction. But the daring architect sets a condition: the mosque will be finished if the queen allows herself to be kissed.
The queen is angry; Has the architect forgotten who she is? But the architect is inexorable... Then Bibi-Khanim decides to use a trick: she orders eggs painted in different colors to be brought. “Look at these eggs; They are all different on the outside, but on the inside they are all the same. This is how we are women! I will give you any of the slaves you want.” To this, the architect ordered two glasses to be brought: he filled one of them with ordinary water; the other with white wine. “Look at these two glasses, they look the same. But if I drink one, I won’t feel anything, if I drink another, it will burn me. This is love!”
And Timur is already approaching the capital. Bibi-Khanim is beside herself with frustration: the surprise she has cherished for so long and almost prepared for her husband may not work out. The queen does not dare allow this. She agrees to the kiss. But when kissing, he covers his face with a pillow (according to another legend - with his palm); the kiss was so hot that it left a stain on the beauty’s cheek. And so Timur entered the capital, and his admiring gaze saw the cathedral mosque in all its splendor - a gift from his beloved wife. Imagine Bibi-Khanim’s embarrassment when her perceptive husband noticed a spot on her cheek...
Here the narrative splits into two versions:
Version one:
Death awaited the architect. Realizing this, he climbed one of the minarets of the newly built mosque together with his student. The warriors rushed there, but when they got up, they met only a student. “Where is the teacher?” they asked him. “The teacher made wings for himself and flew to Mashhad,” he answered...
Version two:
The great conqueror was angry, but did not show his anger. He just summoned the master and ordered him to build a rich mausoleum underground, so that such a rich tomb would not exist in the whole world. Then the ruler ordered the great master to make a sarcophagus from a block of pink marble, and a gravestone from black jade, and to carve on the stone in Arabic writing a recipe for making glaze for domes. When everything was ready, Timur killed the master and buried him in a dungeon. He also ordered his treasures and the famous library, which he brought after a military campaign in Asia Minor, to be demolished in the dungeon. Then the entrance was walled up. Years passed. The grandson of the great lame man took possession of the dungeon plan. He replenished the library - so gradually the dungeon turned into one of the largest book depositories in the world. But Ulugbek died and the dungeon plan disappeared..."(material used from the collection “Legends of Samarkand” by N. Yakubov. Samarkand - 1990)

However!

“History, however, does not know the name Bibi Khanum, and destroys all the charm of the fairy tale. Timur's main wife's name was Sarai Mulk-Khanym. And by the time the mosque was built, she was well over 60 years old. In fact, the mosque was built under Timur in 1399-1404 and was founded by Timur after a victorious campaign against the capital of India - Delhi.” This was Timur's penultimate campaign. From the latter (to China) he was brought dead - he died on the road. And the Chinese emperor sent envoys to meet him, who were supposed to inform the conqueror that China was ready to surrender without a fight, and wanted to listen to the conditions.

There is another version.
Traveler Rui Clavijo wrote in his Diary that the mosque was built on the orders of Timur himself in honor of the mother of Timur’s eldest wife (Sarai Mulk Khanim, whom Klasihzo called Kanyo), which is quite likely, given that “Bibi” means mother -

“The mosque that the lord ordered to be built in honor of the mother of his wife Caño was the most revered in the city. When it was finished, the lord was dissatisfied with the front wall, which was [too] low, and ordered it to be broken down. They dug two holes in front of her in order to dismantle the foundation through them, and in order for the work to proceed smoothly, the lord said that he himself would undertake to monitor one part [of the work], and ordered his two entourage to observe the other half, in order to know who would complete their task most quickly . And the lord [at that time] was already decrepit, could neither walk nor ride a horse, and [moved] only in a stretcher. And he ordered that he be brought there on a stretcher every day and remained there for some time, hurrying the workers. Then he ordered boiled meat to be delivered there and thrown from above to those who worked in the pit, as if they were dogs. And when he threw [this meat] with his own hands, he encouraged [to work] so much that one cannot help but be surprised. Sometimes the lord ordered money to be thrown into the pits. And they worked on this construction day and night. This construction and the [construction of] the street were suspended [only] because it snowed.”

Be that as it may, with such a variety of legends and versions, the magnificent Bibi-Khanum becomes more and more interesting and mysterious.

“The huge mosque building, which was built hastily, turned out to be short-lived and began to fall apart in the first years of its existence. In the 17th century, the condition of the mosque was so threatening that the ruler of Samarkand, Yalangtush-biy, decided to build a new cathedral mosque on Registan Square. Earthquakes accelerated the process of deformation and destruction of the domes and increased the threatening cracks in the arches. The earthquake of 1897 destroyed a significant part of the marble-clad portal of the main entrance. As a result, only ruins remained of the monumental structure, integral in its composition.”

80s. Central arch of Bibi Khanum

“In the first years of Soviet power, the question of complete restoration of the mosque was raised. However, the work at first concerned only the improvement of the monument: benches were demolished and the area around the mosque was cleared. The technical restoration of this monument required, in addition to large material costs, a preliminary and in-depth study of it. In the 20-30s, works appeared that more fully covered the history of the monument; measurements were taken of the parts remaining on the surface; the yard area was surveyed; Extensive work was completed to fix the paintings of the mosque. Subsequently, as a result of a detailed archaeological and architectural study of the building, a project for the graphic restoration of the mosque, created at one time by the best craftsmen of that time, was drawn up.”

Opposite the Bibi-Khanum complex there is another large tomb of women from the ruling Samarkand families of the royal family. But after Bibi-Khanum we didn’t have any emotional strength to go there. Catharsis and devastation. This was noticeable even to the youngest. She was thoughtful and silent. Amazing place.

And also, locals say that if a woman cannot get pregnant, then she must definitely come to Bibi Khanum, touch the stones of the mosque and the place where the large Koran lay (one of the first five). Pray in any language. And ask for the happiness of motherhood. You can ask the caretakers to “read” on you. And everything will come true, for the place has been prayed for for many centuries.
When we, enchanted, wandered alone through the magical Bibi-Khanum, I noticed near the side mosque, on the young grass, a middle-aged man kneeling and praying. Who was he praying for? For your wife? For your daughter? His prayer must be heard and he will hold in his arms the baby for whom he prayed in this holy place.
Seeing how in the distance the youngest was stuck to the stand under the giant Koran and caressed herself around the warm light stone like a kitten, I thought that I should definitely ask for children. We called the doll away and quietly went out through the giant arch... Further, to Samarkand...

On the second day of our stay in Samarkand, we decided to walk around the city on our own and see the largest mosque in Samarkand - Bibi Khanum. The idea of ​​building this grandiose temple complex belongs to Amir Timur (Tamerlane) himself. Construction began in 1399 and lasted more than five years. According to legend, this temple complex owes its name to Timur’s beloved wife - Saray-mulk khanum (literal translation of Bibi Khanum - “Elder Princess”).

At the beginning of construction, Timur personally supervised the construction and made all the necessary orders personally, but then it was time to go on another military campaign. A few years later, when the temple was almost finished, Timur came with an inspection and was very dissatisfied with the result. In his opinion, the entrance portal was not majestic enough. The portal was destroyed and rebuilt, now the ruler was pleased. True, Tamerlane was not able to enjoy the results of his labors; in February of the following year he suddenly fell ill and died. He was almost 70 years old, an advanced age, especially for that time.

We reached the mosque quite quickly; by our standards, it was quite a short walk. For lazy tourists, there are electric buses available here.

The entrance portal of the Bibi Khanum temple complex is truly impressive. But not at all for its beauty, but for its gigantic size. Next to them you feel like an insignificant ant. This is probably exactly the effect that Amir Timur wanted to achieve when he was planning the construction. The dome of the entrance portal was supposed to be associated with the starry sky when entering. True, the construction technologies of that time were very imperfect and after a few years this grandiose dome collapsed under the weight of its own.

And then over 500 years, thanks to several strong earthquakes, Bibi Khanum almost completely turned into ruins.

This is what the mosque looked like in 1905.

The restoration of the complex began only in 1988, the reconstruction of the complex began. In 2003, the main mosque was reconstructed, which is essentially a remake - the amount of original materials used in construction is minimal. Entrance portal of the main Bibi Khanum Mosque. From this angle, the main dome, which is 40 meters high, is not visible.

Stunningly beautiful carved door.

The center of the mosque courtyard can accommodate up to 10 thousand worshipers, which by the standards of that time is simply a gigantic figure.

On both sides of the courtyard there are two small, absolutely symmetrical mosques. In the very center there is a pedestal for the Koran. There is a legend that if you crawl under the pedestal, it will greatly promote childbearing. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but many women periodically try to test this for themselves, even very famous ones.

Despite the fact that the mosque is essentially a new building, it looks as if it will soon fall apart from old age. This is probably why no one is allowed inside; the photo was taken through the bars.

It is believed that the temple complex was built by Timur as a sacrifice to God for a successful campaign in India, in which Tamerlane practically wiped out the city of Delhi from the face of the Earth, destroying a huge number of people. The temple began to collapse almost immediately after the commissioning of the object and many said that God did not accept the sacrifice of the bloody tyrant. Although, most likely, the reason was more banal. The gigantic dimensions of the temple did not fit into the construction technologies of that time, and the earthquake-prone place only completed the destruction that began due to numerous errors in calculations.

Directly opposite the Bibi Khanum Mosque there is an inconspicuous mausoleum, which is commonly called the Bibi Khanum Mausoleum. Once upon a time, even before the construction of the Bibi Khanum temple complex began, here was the madrasah of Sarai-mulk Khanum, that very beloved wife of Timur, built on her orders.

Since then, nothing has remained from the madrasah except the mazvolei. But from the site there is a beautiful view of the mosque and the city cemetery.

It is believed that the mazvolei contains the remains of Bibi Khanum herself, but no written evidence of this has survived. The first to be buried in the mausoleum was Bibi Khanum’s mother; the remains of several other women were also found here. But archaeologists have not been able to determine who they belong to.

Entrance here is paid (16,000 sum), to be honest, there is nothing to see.

Next to the Bibi Khanum Mosque there is an authentic bazaar, which has remained virtually unchanged for 500 years. We went there and spent the remaining time and money buying souvenirs and gifts.

At the end of the series of stories about Samarkand, I want to show a few photographs of the city at night.

This story is one of a series of stories about our journey to Uzbekistan in December 2013

 

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