Bibi-Khanym Mosque
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Quick Facts
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Bibi-Khanym Mosque (Persian: مسجد بی بی خانم; Uzbek: Bibi-Xonum machiti) is a famous historical Friday mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, whose name comes from the wife of 14th-century ruler, Amir Timur.
History Of Mosque
After his Indian campaign in 1399 Timur decided to undertake the construction of a gigantic mosque in his new capital, Samarkand. The mosque was built using precious stones captured during his conquest of India. According to Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, 90 captured elephants were employed merely to carry precious stones, so as to erect a mosque at Samarkand, Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Construction was completed between 1399 and 1404. However, the mosque slowly fell into disuse, and crumbled to ruins over the centuries. Its demise was hastened due to the fact it pushed the construction techniques of the time to the very limit, and the fact that it was built too quickly.It eventually partially collapsed in 1897 when an earthquake occurred.
However, in 1974 the government of the then Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic began to reconstruct the mosque, although the current mosque (Which is still not completed) is effectively a brand-new building, as no original work remains. The bazaar at the foot of the Bibi-Khanym has changed little since 600 years ago.
However, in 1974 the government of the then Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic began to reconstruct the mosque, although the current mosque (Which is still not completed) is effectively a brand-new building, as no original work remains. The bazaar at the foot of the Bibi-Khanym has changed little since 600 years ago.
Architecture and Design
The cupola of the main chamber reaches a height of 40 metres, and the entranceway is 35 metres high.There is a large marble Qur'an stand in the centre of the courtyard.Only four massive fragments and a minaret survive of this enormous mosque commissioned by Timur after a victorious campaign in Hindustan. Located near the Iron Gate, the mosque faced a madrasa, no longer extant, that would later abut the mausoleum constructed for Saray Mulk Khanum, now in a ruinous state. A covered bazaar connected the massive mosque to Registan Square.
The four fragments mark the four central points of the courtyard mosque: on the east-west axis, the monumental entrance portal with minarets, and the immense domed sanctuary with an iwan flanked by minarets; on the north-south axis, two smaller iwans and domed chambers that punctuated the long sides of the courtyard.
A reconstruction has been approximated from the fragments and excavations. The mosque occupied a space 109 by 167 meters, and consisted of an arcade, or riwaq, linking the iwans, four bays deep increasing to nine bays on the western, Qibla side. The facade of the interior courtyard included three tiers of riwaq flanking the north and south iwans, and may have stepped down to two tiers elsewhere. Minarets marked each corner of the exterior envelope; the northwest minaret still stands.
The colossal entrance portal protruded from the exterior wall, two minarets projecting out even further from the exterior corners of the pishtaq. Cylindrical shafts sitting on decagonal socles provide the earliest surviving example of minarets flanking a portal that rise from the ground rather than emerging from the top of the iwan. The iwan itself is 19 meters high.
Across the courtyard, the sanctuary iwan is framed by a 30m high pishtaq flanked by minarets, protruding from the facade. The domed sanctuary is square in plan, with arched bays in each wall. The north and south bays lead to the riwaq, the west bay holds the mihrab. The north and south domed chambers are similar, on a smaller scale, the pishtaqs, however, were flush with the courtyard facade. The presence of domed chambers behind the lateral iwans represents an innovation to the traditional four iwan plan.
The three domes are all sphericonical on the interior, resting on octagonal zones of transition. These inner domes are enclosed by exterior cylindrical drums, above which the exterior domes rise with a tall ellipsoidal profile. The inner dome supports vertical flanges that provide structure for the outer dome. The exterior is clad with blue glazed tiles.
Remains of the decoration attest to a varied and imaginative exterior decorative treatment, incorporating hazarbaf brickwork, mosaic faience, haft rangi tiles, and carved stone. The interior surfaces retain traces of painted plaster and gilded papier mache.
The four fragments mark the four central points of the courtyard mosque: on the east-west axis, the monumental entrance portal with minarets, and the immense domed sanctuary with an iwan flanked by minarets; on the north-south axis, two smaller iwans and domed chambers that punctuated the long sides of the courtyard.
A reconstruction has been approximated from the fragments and excavations. The mosque occupied a space 109 by 167 meters, and consisted of an arcade, or riwaq, linking the iwans, four bays deep increasing to nine bays on the western, Qibla side. The facade of the interior courtyard included three tiers of riwaq flanking the north and south iwans, and may have stepped down to two tiers elsewhere. Minarets marked each corner of the exterior envelope; the northwest minaret still stands.
The colossal entrance portal protruded from the exterior wall, two minarets projecting out even further from the exterior corners of the pishtaq. Cylindrical shafts sitting on decagonal socles provide the earliest surviving example of minarets flanking a portal that rise from the ground rather than emerging from the top of the iwan. The iwan itself is 19 meters high.
Across the courtyard, the sanctuary iwan is framed by a 30m high pishtaq flanked by minarets, protruding from the facade. The domed sanctuary is square in plan, with arched bays in each wall. The north and south bays lead to the riwaq, the west bay holds the mihrab. The north and south domed chambers are similar, on a smaller scale, the pishtaqs, however, were flush with the courtyard facade. The presence of domed chambers behind the lateral iwans represents an innovation to the traditional four iwan plan.
The three domes are all sphericonical on the interior, resting on octagonal zones of transition. These inner domes are enclosed by exterior cylindrical drums, above which the exterior domes rise with a tall ellipsoidal profile. The inner dome supports vertical flanges that provide structure for the outer dome. The exterior is clad with blue glazed tiles.
Remains of the decoration attest to a varied and imaginative exterior decorative treatment, incorporating hazarbaf brickwork, mosaic faience, haft rangi tiles, and carved stone. The interior surfaces retain traces of painted plaster and gilded papier mache.
