Who built the Registan in Samarkand. Registan Ensemble – Ulugbek Madrasah

Registan Square is the heart of Samarkand. The word Registan means "sandy place". Registan arose long before the Mongol invasion as a center of crafts and trade. This is the intersection of six roads that go from the city gates. The Registan is surrounded on three sides by majestic buildings: (1417 - 1420), Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619 - 1636), (1647 - 1660).

During the reign of Tamerlane, Registan was a city square, Tamerlane's troops, going on campaigns, gathered on this square before leaving the city. Tamerlane's grandson Mirzo Ulugbek, a great patron of sciences and a scientist himself, during his reign changed the purpose of the square.

In the 17th century, two monumental buildings of the Sher-dor and Tillya-Kari madrasahs were built on the Registan. They are notable for their impressive size and luxury finishes, although in terms of their artistic and architectural merits they are still inferior to their prototype - the immortal monument of architecture - the Ulugbek madrasah.

The method of comparing monumental buildings of the same type, which was widespread at that time, received a new solution here. The facades of the buildings are located in such a way that the area uniting them is perceived as a large courtyard open on one side with three huge peshtaks. Before the gaze of a person approaching the Registan, a spectacle full of extraordinary grandeur immediately opens up. Rhythmically repeated huge geometrically clear architectural volumes. Peshtak buildings are facing the viewer with giant arches, which, with their lancet, pointed upwards, make one feel the colossal heaviness of the architectural mass, pressing on powerful pylons and walls. The arches seem to be frozen in a mighty tension, and it seems that some supernatural force forces the arrays of walls, domes, pylons and minarets to stand motionless, on the surface of which the bright colors of the patterns and inscriptions laid out in tiles calmly shimmer.

Bright tiled decoration sounds like a powerful colorful chord, either covering large planes of walls and pylons with a colored grid, or forming coloristically saturated, with a predominance of blue, light blue or orange-yellow colored spots in the niches of non-shtak, in the tympanums of arches, on the ribbed surface of domes.

In 1417, Ulugbek began the construction of a madrasah on Registan Square, which later bears his name. The Ulugbek Madrasah originally had 50 hujrkels, in which more than a hundred students studying in the madrasah lived. Later, a whole ensemble of buildings was built near the madrasah, including a mosque, a khanaka and a caravanserai.

In the Madrasah, in addition to a whole galaxy of famous scientists (Kazy-zade Rumi, Maulana Kashani, Maulana Kushchi) who read their lectures here on mathematics, geometry, logic, natural sciences, astronomy (including astrology), codes of teachings about man and the world soul, theology, Ulugbek himself also taught. And as a rector, Ulugbek chose a simple, but very educated man - Maulan Muhammad Khavfi. On the opening day of the madrasah, Khavfi gave a lecture in the presence of 90 scholars, but no one could understand the lecture, except for Ulugbek himself and Kazy-zade Rumi (Ulugbek's teacher).

On the portal of Ulugbek Madrasah, in addition to traditional quotations from the Koran, there is the following message: “We can say about this house: it is a multilateral illumination for people, a direct path, mercy for people who have the right eyesight. A worthy sultan, the son of a sultan, the founder of this building of science and prosperity, the satisfaction of peace and faith - Ulugbek Gurgan. May Allah preserve the palace of his dominion, strengthen its foundation until the end of the existence of his state. It is truly good to live in this majestic madrasah: Peace be upon you! You were kind, so enter it, remaining in it forever. Year 820 (1417). Let it be known: this building is the most excellent and highest place in the world, the most perfect of buildings in art and work, indicates the foundations of science and guides the path of salvation; Sharia and Fatwa people living in it; that is why this great school is named - "scientists live in it."

The madrasah is planned according to the canon with an inner courtyard and a huge peshtak overlooking the square. The architect of this building is not known for certain, although the message of Ulugbek's contemporary, the historian Vasifi, is known that he was Kamaleddin Muhandis, a student of Kazy-zade Rumi.

The Ulugbek Madrasah is a closed rectangular courtyard, the back side of which was occupied by a mosque-audience. There were 4 minarets at the corners of the ensemble. Around the courtyard there were two tiers of arches open to the outside, behind which there were fifty hujra-cells, in which more than a hundred students who studied here lived. A grandiose portal opens onto the square. Three more of the same portal, but smaller, were located on the other three sides of the building. The rear portal served as the entrance to the mosque. Portals are the most remarkable elements of the building. They have a purely decorative function, their meaning is only in the impression of monumentality and grandeur. This impression is achieved by a very simple technique - the exaggerated size of the door niches.

For all its monumentality, the building gives the impression of lightness and grace. The relief details of the walls, which speak of the severity and thickness of the walls, are either completely absent or reduced to a minimum. A small decorative ornament, the coloring of the walls with blue-blue tiles, eliminate the thought of the severity of the masonry. Slender cylindrical minarets, as it were, fit the building into the eternally blue Samarkand sky.

The decoration of the madrasah, especially the mosaics, is distinguished by great sophistication, according to the purity of glaze tones, fine harmony in the combination of colors, the beauty of lines and the elegance of the pattern, which are among the most perfect works of decorative art of the medieval East. On the pylons of the main peshtak, against the deep blue tone of the main background, there are lush rosettes of white, yellow, green, manganese-black flowers, blue and green stems. Graceful and moving letters of white and yellow inscriptions are intertwined with thin spirally curved stems of plants.

In 1932, the minaret of the Ulugbek Madrasah was straightened - an unprecedented case in world practice.

Over the next two centuries, caravan routes through Samarkand lose their significance. The decline of trade and handicraft production leads to stagnation in the economic life of the country. Samarkand is part of the Bukhara Khanate as a special lot. At this time, the Samarkand Emir Bahodur Yalangtush will build two other madrasahs on Registan Square at his own expense. Thus, the construction of the ensemble of the central square, which has survived to this day, is magnificent in its beauty.

Madrassah Sher-Dor ("Abode of Lions"), erected in the period from 1619 to 1636 by the architect Abdul Jabbar, and in its architecture almost mirrored the first building of the ensemble - Ulugbek Madrasah, but in distorted proportions. It was built on the spot where, under Ulugbek, there was a khanaka (abode) for Sufis.

The external appearance of the building, traditional for Central Asian madrasas, is determined by a massive block of high walls, above which a peshtak, domes on high drums and corner minarets rise from the side of the main facade, forming a strictly balanced composition. The square courtyard is surrounded by two tiers of cells - hujrs; in the middle of each side of the courtyard there is a deep aivan; in the corners of the building there are domed auditoriums and a mosque. Lancet niches of peshtaks and arches of hujras open into the space of the courtyard, the repetition of which creates a peculiar ornamental rhythm.

The decorative decoration of the walls of the madrasah, consisting of marble panels, colored tiles and carved mosaics, is rich and colorful, but inferior to the Timurid in technical and artistic terms. The colors of the mosaics are not so harmonious, the green and yellow colors that prevail in individual panels make some variegation. An original feature of the mosaics of the Sher-Dor Madrasah are images of lions with a shaggy mane and open mouths placed on the facade in huge tympanums of the peshtak arch, rushing at small white fallow deer behind the figures of lions, images of the sun with a human face and yellow rays are placed. The plot of the mosaic determined the modern name of the madrasah: Sher-dor, that is, having lions. In the mosaic panels of courtyard arches there are many curly flowers, buds forming a complex openwork ornamental pattern. The motif of a framed panel with lush bouquets of flowers in curly flowerpots, a symbolic “tree of life”, is often used in architectural ornamentation.

In contrast to the external design, the interior of the hujr-cells is strict and ascetic. The room with smooth white walls was divided into three parts: the front one was for staying at home and studying, a small pantry for household needs, the mezzanine served as a bedroom.

Tillya-Kori Madrasah

The Tillya-Kori madrasah (“trimmed with gold”) was built in 1646-1660. on the site of the old caravanserai left from the time of Ulugbek. According to the plan of Yalangtush biy Bakhodur, the Madrasah was supposed to close the Registan Square with its facade, and the mosque itself should also be located in the building so that students could pray without leaving the Madrasah.

Facade, designed in the Bukhara architectural tradition, that is, decorated with two tiers of lancet niches located on both sides of the portal. This technique, brought to Samarkand architecture, however, did not violate the integrity and grandeur of the ensemble, which is an outstanding monument of world architecture. The main façade has a symmetrical composition with a central portal, frontal wings with two tiers of hujras, arched niches facing the square - loggias and corner towers - guldasta. The extensive four-aivan courtyard is lined with cells along the perimeter (two floors along the main facade; one - along the rest). The western part of the building is occupied by the domed building of the mosque with two adjacent galleries on pillars. In the center is a square, cruciform room. At the bottom there are borders of carved stalactites. The remaining surfaces of the walls and vault were completely covered with kundal painting with rich gilding. The mihrab and the eleven-step minbar (an elevation for the preacher - imam) were gilded. The abundance of gold in the decoration determined the name of Tillya-Kori.

In the cities of the Middle East, the main squares were called Registan. And today the most famous and most magnificent square in its beauty is located in the center of old Samarkand. The beauty and grandeur of this place does not leave indifferent any person who has visited this land at least once. Translated from the Uzbek language, Registan means "a place covered with sand." This name appeared for a reason. The fact is that according to legends, public executions were carried out on such an area from the 15th to the 20th centuries, and in order for the blood to be better absorbed into the ground, it was sprinkled with sand. There is also an opinion that Tamerlane paraded here the heads of the victims, impaled on pins. But in addition to harsh reprisals, Registan Square was a place where people gathered to announce royal decrees. Before each announcement of a new decree, the people were notified by the loud sound of copper pipes. But people go to Samarkand not for these stories and legends, but to see the greatest buildings of the Islamic world.

On the Registan Square of Samarkand, paved with cobblestones and bricks, a beautiful architectural ensemble of three madrasas rises, which in 2001 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The oldest of them is the Ulugbek madrasah, which was built by the Timurid ruler and scientist Ulugbek in 1417-1420. The building has a high lancet arch, over which a mosaic panel of carved and glazed ceramics and colored bricks flaunts. It was in this madrasah that well-known scientists at that time, such as Al-Kushchi, Kazi-zade al-Rumi, Jemshid Giyas ad-Din Al-Kashi and Ulugbek himself read their lectures.

Madrasah Ulugbek took western part Registan. A few years later, Ulugbek's khanaka was built opposite it, and a caravanserai was located on the northern side. These two structures have not survived to this day, since two more madrasahs were built in their place in the 17th century: Sherdor (1619 - 1636) and Tilla-Kari (1646 - 1660).

By order of Yalangtush Bahadur (the ruler of Samarkand), the construction of a new madrasah, the Sherdor madrasah, began on the site of a dilapidated khanaka. The building almost mirrors Ulugbek's madrasah, but in distorted proportions. Its main difference is a large dome, which may be the reason for the gradual destruction of the building. The coat of arms of Samarkand flaunts on the entrance portal, and “God Almighty!” is written on top in Arabic script.

The coat of arms of Samarkand is leopards with the sun on their backs.

Glazed bricks, mosaic murals and mosaic sets adorn the exterior and interior façade, and quotations from the Koran can be read on the walls. In terms of sophistication, the Sherdor madrasah is inferior to the Ulugbek madrasah, but this does not diminish its significance among the best architectural monuments of the city.

On the site of the former caravanserai, the third madrasah, the Tillya-Kari madrasah, is monumentally and majestically located. The facade of this building consists of the main portal and frontal two-tiered wings with corner towers, and in the courtyard there is a domed building of the mosque. For the decoration of the madrasah, gilding was abundantly used, thanks to which it got its name, which means “trimmed with gold”. In addition to the fact that students were taught in this institution, the Tillya-Kari madrasah served as a cathedral mosque.

Acquaintance with the Registan Square will not be complete if you do not touch on other structures that are located on it. If we take the Tillya-Kari madrasah as a landmark, then to the east of it is the mausoleum of the Sheibanids. It is represented by a heap of tombstones, the oldest of which refers to XVI century.

Behind the Sherdor madrasah is the ancient trading dome of Chorsu. This hexagonal domed structure was built in the 15th century. In 2005, the trading dome was restored, and in order to restore its full height, a three-meter layer of soil had to be cleaned off. Today it houses a gallery visual arts where everyone can enjoy exhibition works Uzbek sculptors and artists. It is this building that confirms the status of Registan Square as shopping center Samarkand.

In conclusion, about the central square of Samarkand, I would like to emphasize that neither eloquent words nor the most beautiful photo unable to describe and convey that wonderful and amazing feeling that absorbs a person standing on this historical land.

Registan Square is located in the Uzbek city of Samarkand. The word registan in the Middle Eastern cities was usually called central squares cities. Samarkand Square is known for its unique ensemble, one of the most beautiful examples of Islamic architecture. In the center of this complex there are three madrasahs dating back to the 15th-17th centuries, beautiful monuments of oriental architecture. The architectural ensemble is included in the List world heritage UNESCO.

The word "registan" in the Uzbek language is composed of two words: "reg" - sand and "stan" - place. When they are added, the translation is obtained: "a place covered with sand."

There are versions that sand was poured onto the square to soak up blood after public executions were carried out on the square. There are also suggestions that Tamerlane placed the heads of his enemies on bayonets here - for intimidation and edification. In addition, residents came to the square to listen to the decrees of the emir. The square was also an important point of the Great Silk Road.

History of Registan Square

One of the oldest Muslim educational institutions in Central Asia is the Ulugbek madrasah. Work on its construction was carried out for several years from 1417 to 1420. The madrasah was erected on the square by order of the ruling grandson of Tamerlane - Mirzo Ulugbek, an outstanding scientist, poet, Special attention devoted to astronomy. The appearance of the educational institution served the glory of Samarkand as a center of science in the medieval East. Four vaulted rooms were made in the madrasah, walled on three sides and open on the fourth side. On the first floor of the building there were lecture halls, on the second - halls for relaxation. Along the perimeter of the square courtyard there are niches leading to cells for students. The premises could accommodate more than 100 students. A mosque was built on the back side of the courtyard, and minarets were built in the corners of the building. From above lancet arch the eastern portal is an ornamental mosaic panel made of multi-colored bricks and ceramics.

Tourists can climb the minaret of the Ulugbek madrasah, from where good view to the area above.

Lectures in the madrasah, which occupied one of the first positions among theological educational institutions in the Muslim East in the 15th century, were given by famous scientists, including the ruler Ulugbek himself. Students studied mathematics, geometry, logic, natural sciences, theology, teachings about man and the world soul.

Ulugbek Madrasah occupied the western part of the square, on opposite side a few years later, the khanaka (abode) of Ulugbek was built. In the north of the square, a public place caravanserai was erected, which served as a resting place for traveling and trading caravans. By the beginning of the 17th century, the last two buildings were abandoned and badly damaged, so new buildings were erected here.

Where there was a khanaka, they erected (“the abode of lions”). The remaining remains of the former residence of Ulugbek served as building material. The name Sherdor is due to the fact that leopards, the coat of arms of Samarkand, are depicted on the main portal. In addition to wild cats, here you can see one of the most ancient symbols of many peoples - a large swastika. The height of the minarets at the main facade is 31 meters. Construction was carried out for 17 years until 1636. The Sherdor madrasah, as a reflection in a mirror, repeats the madrasah of Ulugbek, but differs in a disproportionately large dome and has less sophistication than the madrasah opposite. It is believed that it was because of the violation of proportions that the destruction of the dome began, a few years after the completion of construction. Expressions from the Koran are written on the walls of the building. Inside and outside, decorations and decor are made of glazed bricks, mosaics and paintings with gold. The decoration of the building was done by the master Mohammed Abbas.

In 1646, the Registan Square was decorated, which appeared on the site where the caravanserai had previously been. The decor of the madrasah is rich in gilding, and the name “trimmed with gold” is also associated with this. Gilding is also used in the kundal wall painting technique used in the interior with floral ornaments. Other decor techniques were also used: mosaics and majolica with floral and geometric ornaments. On the sides of the central portal there are wings with two tiers, they have niches in the form of arches and towers in the corners. A domed mosque was built in the western part of the courtyard. As a result of the earthquake, part of the Tillya-Kari madrasah, including the main dome, was badly damaged.

The Tillya-Kari Madrasah stands in the center of the square, and on the sides there are two previously built madrasahs. Buildings built in different time, each madrasah is distinguished by its characteristic decorations, and together they create a unique ensemble.

At the beginning of the 16th century, a burial structure was created in Samarkand, which had the shape of a rectangular prism, this is a family tomb - the dakhma of the Sheibanids (in some sources it is called a mausoleum). In the 19th century, this heap of tombstones was transferred to the territory of Registan Square.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the city experienced a crisis after Samarkand ceased to be the capital of the khanate, and Bukhara became the main city. During this period, the city lost its place in the Great Silk Road. In the middle of the 19th century, various activities resumed on the square. The restoration of the madrasah was carried out in the 20th century: it began during the Soviet Union, and was completed during the years of independence of Uzbekistan. During the work, ancient Uzbek traditions were observed, and studies of the architecture and history of the square were organized.

Now the square hosts large-scale events and holidays. In the shopping dome Chorsu, built on the square in the 15th century, there is a gallery with the works of local artists and sculptors, and in the Middle Ages there was a large market.

For tourists there are shops with products made by local craftsmen. Entrance to the square is paid, for foreign tourists it costs from 25,000 to 35,000 soums, for local prices much lower. Tickets must be purchased at the box office near the main entrance, and not from security guards approaching tourists. Guides are also offered at the entrance, who tell the history of the square and guide you through the best souvenir shops. According to some travelers, the square becomes like a large souvenir market due to the large number of sellers.

Tourists in the reviews note especially beautiful view Registan square when the backlight turns on, so it is recommended to return here in the evening after 19.00. However, it is worth remembering that you can go inside the madrasah from 09:00 to 17:00. Sometimes a laser show is held on the square, telling about historical events (beginning at 21:00).

How to get to Registan Square in Samarkand

The square is located along Registanskaya Street, in the old city center. Usually it is from the Registan that sightseeing of the city begins. You can get here by bus:

• No. 41, 92, stop "Registan Square";
• No. 1, 5, 9, 10, 19, 22, 23, 27, 31, 33, 35, 44, 45, 54, 56, 60, 64, 88, 89, 99, stop "st. Dagbitskaya.

You can get to the square by taxi: Maxim service operates in Samarkand, as well as local services iTaxi, Taxi OK.

Panorama of Registan Square on Google Maps:

Video about Registan Square in Samarkand:

Registan Square in Samarkand is the cultural and historical center and heart of the city with a thousand-year history. Its formation began at the turn of the 14th-15th centuries and continues to this day. An ensemble of three graceful madrasahs Sherdor, Ulugbek and Tillya-Kari, which is an unsurpassed masterpiece of Persian architecture, is a world-class property. Since 2001 architectural complex is under the protection of UNESCO.

Description

There are a lot of cities with the Registan square in Central Asia, but it is Samarkand that is the largest and most valuable in terms of cultural heritage. It is located in historical center Samarkand, one of the most important settlements Uzbekistan.

The photo of the Registan Square impresses, on the one hand, with its beauty, on the other hand, with the grandeur of the objects located here. Turquoise domes rise above universities-madrasahs covered with oriental script, and huge entrance arches seem to invite you into the unknown world of knowledge. Apparently, it is no coincidence that Samarkand during the Middle Ages was the world's leading cultural and educational center, where, in addition to the Koran, philosophy and theology, they studied mathematics, astronomy, medicine, architecture and other applied sciences.

Name

In Arabic, "reg" means one of the types sandy deserts. This suggests the conclusion that the area was once covered with sand. This is where scientific assumptions about the origin of the name Registan Square begin.

According to one version, an irrigation canal used to run here. A lot of sand accumulated at its bottom, and when the water was drained as a result of the development of the city, the territory began to resemble a desert area.

According to another version, since the time of the conqueror Timur, the square has served as a place of public executions. So that the blood does not spread and does not stink in a hot climate, the soil was covered with a layer of sand. However, it is not possible to confirm or refute these versions. It is only known that at the time of Timur's death (1405), none of the existing structures had yet been built.

Early history

Registan Square was originally a typical medieval city quarter, built up with residential huts, shops, workshops, and shopping arcades. There was no hint of architectural planning. 6 radial streets of Samarkand (Marakanda) converged to the square from all sides. At the intersection of four of them (in particular, leading to Bukhara, Shakhrisabz and Tashkent), Timur's wife, whose name was Tuman-aga, at the end of the 14th century built a small domed shopping arcade Chor-su (Chorsu). Translated from Uzbek, it sounds like this: “four corners”.

Over time, Timur's grandson, Mirzo Ulugbek, became the ruler of the Timurid state. Unlike the militant grandfather (also known as Tamerlane), he showed a keen interest in the sciences and later became an outstanding educator of his time.

Under Ulugbek, the current appearance of Registan Square begins to take shape. At the very beginning of the 15th century, the first large object was built here - the Tim (indoor market) Tilpak-Furushan. It began to attract merchants from all over the region, and Mirzoi's caravanserai was erected nearby to accommodate them. Four years later, the Great Khan builds a richly decorated khanaka - a monastery for dervishes (wandering monks).

Ulugbek Madrasah

Gradually, El-Registan Square began to turn from a trading square into the front gates of Samarkand. The beginning of the transformation was the construction of a madrasah. Ulugbek, who was fond of astronomy, ordered the construction of the largest spiritual and educational center in the east, combined with an observatory, on the site of the covered market.

Even in its present state, the Ulugbek madrasah impresses with a harmonious combination of monumentality and elegance. But at the time of construction in 1420, it was even more beautiful. The building, quadrangular in plan, measuring 51x81 m, was crowned with four domes of turquoise hues. Three-tiered minarets rose in each of the corners. According to the eastern tradition of architecture, there was a closed courtyard 30x30 m in the center. The main auditorium, also known as a mosque, was located in the back. Contrary to expectations, there was also the main entrance. The giant arch facing the square performs decorative and symbolic functions, embodying the power of knowledge.

The bitter lessons of history

Unfortunately, the Ulugbek Madrasah has not come down to us in its original form. This is due to earthquakes, and human indifference, and military conflicts. After 200 years of prosperity, being the largest and most respected medieval university, the educational institution began to gradually decline. This is due to the transfer of the capital of the state of Maverannahr from Samarkand to Bukhara.

In the 16th century, during the reign of Emir Yalangtush Bahadur, the madrasah was restored. However, in the 18th century, civil strife and civil unrest swept the region. The authorities ordered the demolition of the second floor of the building so that the rebels could not fire on government forces from above. Thus, the wonderful domes of the color of the spring sky disappeared. The finish was also damaged. Later, minarets began to fall due to natural disasters and due to theft. local residents bricks from the base of the masonry. After a strong earthquake that occurred in 1897, the building turned into ruins.

rebirth

Old photos of the Registan Square in Samarkand from the beginning of the 20th century have been preserved. They show that Ulugbek's madrasah was in a deplorable state. The arch and the first floor of the main building survived, as well as the lower (highest) tiers of the front minarets. The facade decoration was badly damaged.

By that time, Soviet power was being established in the region, paying great attention to education. In 1918, the northeast minaret began to tilt rapidly, threatening to fall on the numerous shops and malls that huddled nearby. Turkomstaris Commission for Conservation Supervision historical monuments developed a plan to save the unique structure. The outstanding engineer Vladimir Shukhov joined the project and proposed an original way of leveling the minaret, which was successfully implemented.

Later, the architectural complex was put under restoration, which took 70 years. The peak of work came in 1950-1960. In 1965, the southeastern minaret was straightened and strengthened. In the 90s, the second floor was already restored by Uzbekistan.

Sher-Dor Madrasah

No less impressive architectural monument of the Registan Square is the Sher-Dor Madrasah. It was erected on the site of Ulugbek's dilapidated khanaka at the direction of Yalangtush Bahadur in 1636. The construction was carried out for 17 years under the guidance of the architect Abdul Jabbar, Mohammed Abbas was responsible for painting and decoration.

The configuration of the building is similar to that of Ulugbek's madrasah standing opposite. The facade of the main arch is decorated with snow leopards (a symbol of ancient Marakanda), carrying the sun on their backs. They gave the name to the university: Sher-Dor - "the abode of lions." A distinctive feature of the complex was a disproportionately large central dome. Under its weight, the structure began to deform after a few decades.

However, the madrasah continues the glorious traditions of Persian architects. Openwork gilded verse of quotations from the Koran is intertwined with geometric spiral patterns of glazed bricks and sophisticated mosaics. The decoration of the walls is quite well preserved, but some of the minarets were destroyed.

Tillya-Kari Madrasah

It belongs to the same historical period as Sher-Dor. It occupies a central place on Registan Square. It was built in 1646-1660 on the site of the Mirzoi caravanserai. Due to the peculiarities of the decoration, it received the name Tillya-Kari - “decorated with gold”. The madrasah also served as a cathedral mosque.

The building differs significantly in architectural style:

• the front facade is decorated with two tiers of hujras (cells), facing the square with arched niches;
• instead of unstable minarets, small turrets with domes rise in the corners, called “guldasta”;
• the rear part is occupied by a mosque with a large dome.

The central portal is also monumental, like that of neighboring madrasahs. The decoration widely used majolica and mosaics with a characteristic floral-geometric ornament.

From the depths of centuries

Sadly, but civil wars, invasions of neighbors and raids of nomads Samarkand was practically abandoned by the middle of the 18th century. In some years, there were no inhabitants left in the city. Only treasure hunters, dervishes and wild animals roamed the streets. The madrassas were inexorably destroyed, and the square was covered with a 3-meter layer of sand, which is symbolic, given its name.

By 1770, the power had stabilized, and residents flocked to Samarkand. Registan, as in best years, the cries of merchants were announced, artisans presented their skills, and numerous buyers asked the price of goods. The tsarist authorities in 1875 held a "big subbotnik". They removed alluvial soil (which reached a thickness of 3 meters), cleaned the lower floors of buildings, paved the square and adjacent streets. With the advent of Soviet power in 1918, madrasahs were closed and turned into museums. Throughout the subsequent period, large funds were directed to the restoration of the Registan architectural ensemble.

Today it is the main symbol of ancient Marakanda and Uzbekistan as a whole. According to the reviews of tourists, the complex has retained the spirit of antiquity. Being next to him, a person feels his involvement with great history. Despite the monumentality, the buildings do not crush with their size. They look elegant, and the airy pattern of ornaments seems to rush into the sky.

: 39°39′17″ N sh. 66°58′32″ E d. /  39.65472° N sh. 66.9755556° E d. / 39.65472; 66.9755556(G) (I)

Ulugbek Madrasah

Ulugbek Madrasah is the oldest madrasah on Registan Square and was built in 1417-1420. ruler of the Timurid state and scientist-astronomer Ulugbek. The construction of this building, and a little later the observatory, brought Samarkand fame as one of the main centers of science in the medieval East.

The madrasah was built in the western part of the Registan Square, in front of it a few years later Ulugbek's khanaka was erected, and north side was occupied by a caravanserai. The last two buildings stood for about two centuries, and then in their place at the beginning of the 17th century, the Sherdor Madrassah and the Tillya-Kari Madrassah, which have survived to this day, appeared.

Rectangular in plan, the madrasah had four iwans and a square courtyard, along the perimeter of which there were deep niches leading to two-tiered cells where students lived. The rear side of the courtyard was occupied by a mosque, four domes towered over the corner classrooms of the madrasah, and four minarets were located at the corners of the building. The building faces the square with a majestic eastern portal with a high lancet arch, above which there is a mosaic panel with a geometric ornament made of colored bricks, glazed and carved ceramics.

The Ulugbek Madrasah was one of the best spiritual universities in the Muslim East of the 15th century. According to legend, the famous poet, scientist and philosopher Abdurakhman Jami studied there. Lectures were given in the educational institution on mathematics, geometry, logic, natural sciences, sets of teachings about man and the world soul and theology, and they were read by famous scientists of that time: Kazi-zade ar-Rumi, Jemshid Giyas ad-Din Al-Kashi, Al- Kushchi, as well as Ulugbek himself.

Sherdor Madrasah

Sherdor Madrasah was built on the site of Ulugbek's khanaka, which arose in 1424 in the eastern part of the square opposite Ulugbek's madrasah. By the beginning of the 17th century, the khanaka, along with other buildings of the square, fell into disrepair and fell into disrepair. By order of the ruler of Samarkand, Yalangtush Bahadur, the construction of the Sherdor and Tillya-Kari madrasahs began. Sherdor Madrassah (madrasah "with tigers", "Lions' Abode") was erected by an architect named Abdul-Jabbar, master of decor Mohammed Abbas.

The Sherdor Madrasah almost mirrors the one opposite Ulugbek Madrasah, although in distorted proportions. It is distinguished by an exorbitantly large dome, which could have caused the gradual destruction of the building a few decades after its construction. The walls of the madrasah are covered with quotes from the Koran, the coat of arms of Samarkand is depicted on the entrance portal - leopards with the sun on their backs, a swastika is placed in the center of the arch, and at the top it is written in a special Arabic script " Lord Almighty!". The decoration of the external and internal facades is made of glazed bricks, mosaic sets and paintings with an abundance of gilding. The decoration of the Sherdor madrasah is noticeably inferior in sophistication to the Ulugbek madrasah, built in the 15th century, which fell on the “golden age” of Samarkand architecture. Nevertheless, the harmony of large and small forms, the graceful mosaic pattern, monumentality, clarity of symmetry - all this puts the madrasah on a par with the best architectural monuments cities.

Tillya-Kari Madrasah

Tillya-Kari Madrasah was erected in the northern part of the square ten years after the Sherdor madrasah on the site of a caravanserai of the 1420s. The main façade of the building, which is square in plan, is symmetrical and consists of a central portal and two-tiered frontal wings with arched niches and corner towers. The spacious courtyard is built around the perimeter with small residential cells, hujras. On the western side of the courtyard there is a domed building of the mosque with two adjacent galleries on pillars.

The building of the madrasah is richly decorated with mosaics and majolica with geometric and floral ornaments. Gilding was abundantly used in the decoration of the interior, which gave the name to the madrasah, which means “trimmed with gold”. The mihrab and minbar in the mosque are gilded, the surface of the walls and vaults are covered with paintings. kundal with abundant use of gold.

Throughout its history, the Tillya-Kari madrasah has been not only a place for students to study, but also served as a cathedral mosque.

Other structures

Mausoleum of the Sheibanids

To the east of the Tilla-Kari madrasah is the Sheibanid mausoleum, which is a heap of tombstones, the oldest of which dates back to the 16th century. The founder of the Sheibanid state was the grandson of Abul Khair, Muhammad Sheibani, who in 1500, with the support of the Chagatai Khanate, who then settled in Tashkent, conquered Samarkand and Bukhara, overthrowing the last rulers from the Timurid dynasty who ruled there. After that, Sheibani turned against his benefactors and captured Tashkent in 1503. In 1506 he captured Khiva and in 1507 attacked Merv (Turkmenistan), eastern Persia and western Afghanistan. The Sheibanids stopped the offensive of the Safavids, who in 1502 conquered Akkoyunlu (Iran). Muhammad Sheibani was the leader of the nomadic Uzbeks. Over the following years, they firmly settled in the oases of Central Asia. The Uzbek invasion of the 16th century was the last component in the ethnogenesis of the modern Uzbek nation.

Chorsu Trade Dome

Behind the Sherdor Madrasah is an ancient trading dome. Chorsu, confirming the status of Registan Square as a trading center of medieval Samarkand. The hexagonal domed building that has survived to this day was built in the 15th century, and rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century. In 2005, the trading dome was restored, with a three-meter layer of soil removed to restore the building to its full height. Now it houses a gallery of fine arts, where works by Uzbek artists and sculptors are exhibited.

Legends and myths

They say that the name of the square is sandy place- came from the fact that the earth here was strewn with sand to absorb the blood of the victims of public executions, which were allegedly committed at this place until the beginning of the 20th century. It is also said that the Registan was a place where Tamerlane paraded the heads of his victims, which were impaled on pins, and also a place where people gathered to listen to royal decrees, before reading which they blew loudly into copper pipes. However, it should be remembered that during the time of Timur, who died in 1405, there was not a single building on that square that now exists, which are considered masterpieces of oriental architecture.

Gallery

Ulugbek Madrasa 2007.jpg

Registan - Sherdor madrasa.jpg

Registan in numismatics

• In 1989, a 5-ruble commemorative coin dedicated to Registan was minted in the USSR.

see also

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Notes

Literature

• Weymarn b. Registan in Samarkand.- M., 1946. 104 p. (Series "Treasures of architecture of the peoples of the USSR").
• Registan (front square)- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

Links

observatories

Synagogues

Christian buildings

An excerpt characterizing the Registan (Samarkand)

She always turned to him with a joyful, trusting smile that applied to him alone, in which there was something more significant than what was in the general smile that always adorned her face. Pierre knew that everyone was only waiting for him to finally say one word, to step over a certain line, and he knew that sooner or later he would step over it; but some kind of incomprehensible horror seized him at the mere thought of this terrible step. A thousand times during this month and a half, during which he felt himself drawn further and further into that abyss that terrified him, Pierre said to himself: “But what is this? It takes determination! Don't I have it?"
He wanted to make up his mind, but he felt with horror that in this case he did not have that determination that he knew in himself and which really was in him. Pierre was one of those people who are strong only when they feel completely pure. And from the day that he was possessed by that feeling of desire that he experienced over Anna Pavlovna's snuffbox, an unconscious sense of the guilt of this desire paralyzed his resolve.
On Helen's name day, Prince Vasily had dinner with a small community of people closest to him, as the princess said, relatives and friends. All these relatives and friends were given to feel that on this day the fate of the birthday girl should be decided.
The guests were at dinner. Princess Kuragina, a massive, once beautiful, imposing woman, was sitting in the master's seat. On both sides of it sat the most honored guests - the old general, his wife, Anna Pavlovna Sherer; at the end of the table sat the less elderly and honored guests, and there sat the family, Pierre and Helen, side by side. Prince Vasily did not have supper: he walked around the table, in a cheerful mood, sitting down first to one or another of the guests. To each he spoke a careless and pleasant word, with the exception of Pierre and Helen, whose presence he did not seem to notice. Prince Vasily revived everyone. Wax candles burned brightly, silver and crystal of dishes, ladies' dresses and gold and silver epaulets shone; servants in red caftans scurried around the table; there were the sounds of knives, glasses, plates, and the sounds of the lively conversation of several conversations around this table. At one end the old chamberlain could be heard assuring the old baroness of his fiery love for her and her laughter; on the other hand, a story about the failure of some kind of Marya Viktorovna. At the middle of the table, Prince Vasily gathered listeners around him. He told the ladies, with a playful smile on his lips, the last - on Wednesday - meeting of the State Council, at which Sergey Kuzmich Vyazmitinov, the new St. Sergei Kuzmich, he said that from all sides he receives statements about the loyalty of the people, and that the statement of St. Petersburg is especially pleasant to him, that he is proud of the honor of being the head of such a nation and will try to be worthy of it. This rescript began with the words: Sergey Kuzmich! Rumors reach me from all sides, etc.
- So it didn’t go further than “Sergei Kuzmich”? one lady asked.
“Yes, yes, not a hair,” replied Prince Vasily, laughing. - Sergei Kuzmich ... from all sides. From all sides, Sergei Kuzmich... Poor Vyazmitinov could not go any further. Several times he began to write again, but Sergey would just say ... sobbing ... Ku ... zmi ... ch - tears ... and from all sides they were drowned out by sobs, and he could not go any further. And again a handkerchief, and again “Sergei Kuzmich, from all sides,” and tears ... so that they already asked to read another.
- Kuzmich ... from all sides ... and tears ... - repeated someone laughing.
“Don’t be angry,” Anna Pavlovna said, shaking her finger from the other end of the table, “c "est un si brave et excellent homme notre bon Viasmitinoff ... [This is such a wonderful person, our good Vyazmitinov ...]
Everyone laughed a lot. At the upper honorable end of the table, everyone seemed to be cheerful and under the influence of the most varied lively moods; only Pierre and Helene sat silently side by side almost at the lower end of the table; a radiant smile, independent of Sergei Kuzmich, was restrained on the faces of both - a smile of shame in front of their feelings. No matter what they said and no matter how others laughed and joked, no matter how appetizing they ate rhine wine, and sauté, and ice cream, no matter how they avoided this couple with their eyes, no matter how indifferent, inattentive to her, it was felt for some reason, by occasionally thrown at them glances that the joke about Sergei Kuzmich, and laughter, and food - everything was feigned, and all the forces of the attention of this whole society were directed only to this couple - Pierre and Helen. Prince Vasily imagined the sobs of Sergei Kuzmich and at the same time looked around his daughter; and while he was laughing, his expression said: “Well, well, everything is going well; Everything will be decided today." Anna Pavlovna threatened him for notre bon Viasmitinoff, and in her eyes, which flashed briefly at Pierre at that moment, Prince Vasily read congratulations on the future son-in-law and the happiness of his daughter. The old princess, offering wine to her neighbor with a sad sigh and looking angrily at her daughter, with this sigh seemed to be saying: “Yes, now there is nothing left for you and me but to drink sweet wine, my dear; now is the time for this youth to be so defiantly defiantly happy.” “And what nonsense is all that I tell, as if it interests me,” the diplomat thought, looking at the happy faces of his lovers, “this is happiness!”
Among those insignificantly petty, artificial interests that bound this society, there was a simple feeling of striving of a beautiful and healthy young man and woman for each other. And this human feeling overwhelmed everything and hovered above all their artificial babble. The jokes were not funny, the news was uninteresting, the animation obviously fake. Not only they, but the lackeys who served at the table seemed to feel the same and forgot the order of the service, looking at the beautiful Helene with her beaming face and at the red, fat, happy and restless face of Pierre. It seemed that the lights of the candles were focused only on these two happy faces.
Pierre felt that he was the center of everything, and this position both pleased and embarrassed him. He was in the state of a man deep in some kind of occupation. He didn't see anything clearly, didn't understand, and didn't hear anything. Only occasionally, unexpectedly, fragmentary thoughts and impressions from reality flickered in his soul.
“It's all over! he thought. – And how did it all happen? So fast! Now I know that not for her alone, not for myself alone, but for all this must inevitably come to pass. They are all so looking forward to it, so sure it will be, that I can't, I can't deceive them. But how will it be? Don't know; but it will be, it will certainly be!” thought Pierre, looking at those shoulders that glittered right next to his eyes.
Then suddenly he felt ashamed of something. He was embarrassed that he alone occupied the attention of everyone, that he was a lucky man in the eyes of others, that he, with his ugly face, was some kind of Paris possessing Elena. “But, it’s true, it always happens like that and it’s necessary,” he consoled himself. “And, by the way, what did I do for this?” When did it start? From Moscow, I went with Prince Vasily. There was nothing here yet. Then why didn't I stop at his place? Then I played cards with her and picked up her purse and went skating with her. When did it start, when did it all happen? And here he sits beside her as a bridegroom; hears, sees, feels her closeness, her breath, her movements, her beauty. Then suddenly it seems to him that it is not she, but he himself is so extraordinarily beautiful that that is why they look at him like that, and he, happy with the general surprise, straightens his chest, raises his head and rejoices at his happiness. Suddenly a voice, someone's familiar voice, is heard and says something to him another time. But Pierre is so busy that he does not understand what they say to him. “I ask you when you received a letter from Bolkonsky,” Prince Vasily repeats for the third time. “How distracted you are, my dear.
Prince Vasily smiles, and Pierre sees that everyone, everyone is smiling at him and Helen. “Well, well, if you know everything,” Pierre said to himself. "Well? it’s true,” and he himself smiled his meek, childish smile, and Helen smiles.
– When did you receive it? From Olmutz? - repeats Prince Vasily, who supposedly needs to know this in order to resolve the dispute.
“And is it possible to talk and think about such trifles?” thinks Pierre.
“Yes, from Olmutz,” he replies with a sigh.
From dinner, Pierre led his lady after the others into the living room. The guests began to leave, and some left without saying goodbye to Helen. As if not wanting to interrupt her from her serious occupation, some of them came up for a minute and quickly left, forbidding her to see them off. The diplomat was sadly silent as he left the living room. He imagined all the futility of his diplomatic career in comparison with Pierre's happiness. The old general grumbled angrily at his wife when she asked him about the condition of his leg. Eka, you old fool, he thought. “Here is Elena Vasilievna, so she will be a beauty even at 50.”
“It seems that I can congratulate you,” Anna Pavlovna whispered to the princess and kissed her warmly. “If it weren’t for a migraine, I would have stayed.
The princess did not answer; she was tormented by envy of her daughter's happiness.
Pierre, during the farewell of the guests, remained for a long time alone with Helen in the small drawing room, where they sat down. He had often before, in the last month and a half, been left alone with Helen, but he had never spoken to her of love. Now he felt it was necessary, but he couldn't bring himself to take that last step. He was ashamed; it seemed to him that here, beside Helene, he was occupying someone else's place. This happiness is not for you, some inner voice told him. - This is happiness for those who do not have what you have. But he had to say something, and he spoke. He asked her if she was satisfied with this evening? She, as always, with her simplicity answered that the current name day was one of the most pleasant for her.