Ulugbeg Madrasa in Bukhara

During the reign of Ulugbek (Timur’s grandson) education was actively developing throughout the Timurid empire. Engaged in educational activities, Ulugbek erected many splendid madrasahs in various cities. The current Ulugbeg’s Madrassa in Bukhara was erected in 1417. It is the earliest of three such madrassas and the other two later ones are established in Samarkand and Gijduvan. This madrassa in Bukhara sits east of the Poi Kalyon, opposite the Abdul Aziz Khan madrassah and not far from two of the trading domes of Bukhara and is therefore easily visited while walking in the Bukhara old town center.

The construction of Ulugbeg’s madrasa was carried out by the best architects of that era. The structure looks very harmonious and balanced even today. However, it got its present look with majolica decorating in 1585 during restoration work. With the strict and modest decoration, the grand building is considered one of the main works of architecture of that time. The madrasah has an impressive rectangular structure and the front entrance is designed with a large portal. Walking inside, you can see two rows of small rooms that acted as the accommodation of the students and can get a feeling of how it would have been living in a madrassa 500 years ago in Central Asia.

The configuration of the structure differs from many of its kind. By tradition, in most madrasahs, the widest central corridor leads to the courtyard. In Ulugbek madrasah, this tradition is broken. The corridor leading from the doors is divided into two parts, the first of which leads to the mosque and the second leads to the study hall. The entrance hall of the educational institution was decorated with a carved extract from the Koran saying that every true muslim must strive for knowledge. This saying is considered as a kind of motto of Ulugbek himself. Nearby, there is another inscription, which tells that those who have comprehended the wisdom of books are awaiting the God’s blessing.