Content of Bukhara History

From the history of the city
Fortifications
The Ark citadel and Registan
Western Section of the modern city
The city and the epoch
Trade cross-roads
Kosh-Medresseh. A Dialogue of the epoch
Subterranean and other mosques
In the eastern part of the city
Suburban Ensembles
In the Bukhara Oasis

Subterranean and other mosques

An interesting monument is Magak-i attari that is located in the center of the city not far from the Shakhrud Canal to the south of Shahristan. Before the Arabian conquest there was a bazaar in its place, where idols, drugs and spices - attaron, were offered for sale. It was also the site of the Lunar Temple (Mokh). In the last wording of the work of Narshakhi the mosque that was erected in place of the temple was called "magok", i.e. "in a pit", because even then it was concealed from view by half by the rapidly extending cultural layers. As the excavations carried out in 1940 by V.A. Shishkin show, the first mosque (11th century) on this site was a four pillared structure, decorated with carvings and paintings. However, "the fire in 937 embraced the north gates and everything up to Mokh Mosque, that burnt and was burnt out completely". In the 12th century a new building was put up to the same plan, of which the portal with unique monochrome decorations remains in the south to this day; the building was brought to ruin in the 15th century. The restoration of the mosque on this site dates back to (1546-1547), judjing by the inscription on the new eastern portal leading to the semi-subterranean, but already six-pillared hall. Irs pylons are entertwined by faceted brick braids, framing carved terra-cotta panels, with a carved stucco relief at the bottom of each section of the "girikh" (geometrical pattern). The vault of the portal niche is cut across the center by a wide semi-atch decorated by a delicate ornament. The side parts of the vault are filled with cellular stalactites. Twin semi-columns flanking pylons are faced with twin bricks and "bow" insets characteristic of pre-Mongolian monuments. Among the motives used for framing are winding ribbons of meanders and chains of circular discs, like on the mausoleum of the Samanids.

Its southern portal was unearthed in 1934, and in 1939-1940 it was reinforced and restored. The territory around it was improved and a staircase leading to the level of the 12th century built. Magok-i Attari resembles a parish mosque. Buidings of this type varied greatly, consisting mostly of a hall and a colonnade called "aiwan". Halls were topped by domes, either one or several, reposing on brick pillars, or by beams resting on columns. Among their numerous examples that have survived in Bukhara, two certainly deserved mention.

Magok-i-Kurpa is located to the west of Tok-i-Furushona. It is an unusual two-stories mosque rebuilt in 1636-37 on the earlier foundation. Its body also starts in lower cultural layers. On each floor, there is a rectangular hall covered by twelve domes resting on six pillars. The only sharp accent in its silhouette is its cupola on a tall skylight crowning the section in front of "mihrab" (the prayer niche). Inside, the cupola is splendid: intersecting arches form a sixteen-pointed star, with an overturned stalactite in the center.

A fine example of a parish center ia the Balyand mosque in the southern part of the city, dating back to the first half of the 16th century. It is a cube-shaped structure with a colonnade at he corner, and a refined interior. A paneling of hexahedral glazed tiles painted with gold, goes round the hall. A mosaic panel and the mihrab in the western wall face the entrance. The rest of the walls and the wooden plafond are covered by gilded relief patterns-"kundal". The suspended decorative plafond with twelve- and five-pointed stars also serves a functional purpose. It conceals the actual ceiling: beams forming a series of inscribed squares called "chorkhary" - a traditional wooden arch.

Moving southwards from the Balyand mosque, you reach the Namazgokh mosque, formerly situated out of town, and now standing on the territory of a local industrial enterprise. The mosque was designed for holiday prayers said twice a year. In the 16th century the mosque was remodeled into a monumental colonnade, with its frontal body built like a three-spanned gallery, and a vaulted hall in the middle. The western wall incorporating mihrab was masterly built on the remnants of the original wall, dating back to the time of Arslan Khan (1119-20). The wall is another monument of pre-Mongolian Bukhara: its btickwork consisted of twin bricks, interspaced with vertical "bows", and carved terracotta and stucco insets. They decorated the central hall at the time of Abdullah Khan II. The spacious hall, 8 x 8 meters, the work of another epoch, was covered by a dome, smaller in diameter and reposing on intersecting arches.