Lyabi khauz, Kukeldash madrasah, Nadir divan beghi madrasah and Khanaq

Practise day 1/ 23.05.2022

Lyabi Khauz

    Meaning in Persian "by the pool, sometimes also known as Lyab-i Khauz, a Russian approximation, is the name of the area surrounding one of the few remaining hauz pools that have survived in the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Until the Soviet period, there were many such pools, which were the city's principal source of water, but they were notorious for spreading disease and were mostly filled in during the 1920s and 1930s.
    

 The Lab-i Hauz survived because it is the centerpiece of a magnificent architectural ensemble, created during the 16th and 17th centuries, which has not been significantly changed since. The Lab-i Hauz ensemble, surrounding the pool on three sides, consists of the Kukeldash Madrasah (1568–1569, the largest madrasa in the city), on the north side of the pool, and two religious edifices built by Nadir Divan-Beghi: a khanqah (1620; Uzbek: xonaqah, meaning a lodging house for itinerant Sufis) and a madrasa (1622), which stand on the west and east sides of the pool respectively. The small Qāzī-e Kalān Nasreddīn madrasa (now demolished) was formerly located beside the Kukeldash madrasah.

History

The history of this ensemble is closely connected with the name of Nadir Divan-Beghi, who was an important grandee, vizier, and also an uncle of the Emir of Bukhara Imam Quli Khan. It is said that when Nadir Divan-Beghi built the khanqah which bears his name, near the site of the building there was a large holding owned by an old Jewish widow.         

                                                                                   

(#Debate time)

There was a substantial population of Bukharan Jews. Nadir Divan-Beghi had decided that this site would be the perfect place for a pool, but the widow turned down his offer to buy the property. Then Nadir Divan-Beghi brought her before Imam Quli Khan in the hope that the Emir would coerce her into selling. The Emir of Bukhara ordered a congress of muftis to inquire into the question. However, these specialists in Muslim law decided that there was no legal way to purchase the property, other than with the widow's consent, since Jews had rights on a par with Muslims if they paid the Jizya or poll-tax on non-Muslims.

 

So, Nadir Divan-Beghi had to build a small reservoir near the house of that stubborn Jew. But he dug an aryk, an irrigation ditch, to his new pool in such a way that the water ran right near her house, although it was more expensive. Soon the water began to undermine the foundations of the widow's house. When she came to Nadir Divan-Beghi for justice, he confirmed his readiness to buy her house for a fair price. But widow rejected the money, laying down her own conditions instead. She promised give up her property if the Bukharan rulers would give to her another piece of land with permission to build a synagogue. In return for the widow’s holding Nadir Divan-Beghi gave her a plot of land, belonging to him, in a residential area, which later was named the Jewish quarter (Mahalli Kuma).

Soon the first synagogue at Bukhara and a large pool were built. People started to call it Lab-i Hauz, which means in Persian "by the pool". The date of its construction is about 1620. But folk memory still retains another epithet – Hauz-i Bazūr, "pool made with force".

(photo with tourists by the Lyabi Khauz)

Khoja Nasreddin Effendi Monument

     In the heart of the historical center of Bukhara, near the famous Lyabi-Hauz square, there is a unique monument. It is like a spark of light among the imperturbable masterpieces of ancient architecture. This is a monument to the legendary folk hero Khoja Nasreddin Efendi. 

Many people probably have read the legends, anecdotes and fables about this Eastern hero, wit, troublemaker and joker, who deftly turned clever combinations and fought against the vices of humanity.                                                                                                 An eloquent wit, virtuoso and telltale – this is how you can describe Khoja Nasreddin. In his anecdotes, he ridiculed the vices of greedy rulers, bays and burghers, hypocrisy and cowardice, bribery and litigiousness. Deriding people’s vices, and dealing with the most difficult situations, he was always close to the nation, because he was from the people, always simple and cheerful guy.In our country, this cunning old man with a donkey is considered a folk hero.Why his image is associated with Bukhara, you may ask.For the residents of our country, this colorful character was discovered by the Soviet writer Leonid Solovyov. He wrote 2 novels about the adventures of Khoja Nasreddin: “The troublemaker” and “The enchanted Prince”. In the second work, the hero of Khoja Nasreddin travels through Bukhara and enters the court of the Emir of Bukhara. A film was made based on the novel in 1942. And this character took root in Bukhara that it even became a national symbol.Even today, the monument is always crowded, and children especially love it. In Bukhara, there is a belief that if you put a child on his donkey, his life will be filled with joy and a lot of positive emotions.Indeed, if you come closer to Nasreddin and look at his clever smile, you can see that it radiates some positive energy and warmth, which can be charged to spend a good day.

Kukeldash madrasah
(Exterior side)

Kukeldash madrasah enters into the composition of the architectural complex Lyabi-Hauz. The madrasah was built in 1569 on Abdullah Khan's initiative. The constructed madrasah became the symbol of strong state during the governing of Abdullah Khan II.

“Kukeldash” literally means “foster brother”. In hierarchy of the power, inherited from Genghis Khan the word “kukeldash” marked one of the more important court positions. The organizer of Kukeldash madrasah was the authoritative Emir named Kulbaba. He was keeping his post of kukeldash for the period of several khans of Shaybanid Dynasty. Emir Kulbaba Kukeldash facilitated Abdullah

                                  (The wat to kukeldash madrasah)                    Khan II during his rise to power. According to the sacred tradition of the election of the Khan, each new Khan was raised on the canvas of white skin. Only four most influential people in the society could pull the cloth. Emir Kulbaba was among those who enthroned Abdullah Khan.

This way Kukeldash madrasah was named after Kulbaba Kukeldash - high-ranking dignitary and famous Maecenas.

(Enterance)

Kukeldash madrasah in Bukhara is the biggest madrasah. Its size is 80 x 60 meters. Kukeldash madrasah was erected in compliance with traditional scheme of Central Asian boarding school. The madrasah has 160 khudjras (cells), located in two stores on perimeter of two iwans (arched room) yard. The traditional facades of the madrasah are adorned with majolica. 

The main facade of Kukeldash madrasah is turned to Lyabi-Hauz pool – artificial pond, round of which the architectural monuments are placed. The facade has a hall, mosque and darskhana (room for classes). The interior of the madrasah is interesting for its diversity of compound star-shaped plafonds made of baked bricks or ganch (mix of clay and gypsum). Kukeldash madrasah inside seems to be cramped, because it is piled with paths, ladders and nooks. But the decor in two halls remained in a good view. The dome overlap of the paths, which lead from gates to the yard of the madrasah is impressing. The hall-door is one of the masterpieces of Bukhara wood carving. The leafs of the door are covered with ten-rays star-shaped girih (set of five tiles used for decoration buildings in the Islamic architecture) with filigree ornament in fillings. It is certainly known that in Kukeldash madrasah in the late XIX century a prominent Central Asian writer Sadriddin Ayni studied.

Over its history, Kukeldash madrasah performed many different roles: it served as a caravanserai and defensive fortress, and even the place of execution. Today in one section of the madrasah there is a museum dedicated to writers Sadriddin Ayni and Jalol Ikromi. The other part is the art-restaurant where you can taste the delicious Uzbek cuisine.

Madrasah of Nadir-divan-beghi

Divan-begi is a title that designated the post right after khan in the Bukhara khanate. Nadir Divan-begi held this position during the reign of Imam Quli-khan (1611-1642), the strongest khan of the Ashtarkhanid (Janid) dynasty (established in 1599). The devotion to Islam tradition in the state under Janid dynasty was pale before the eagerness of the time of prominent Shaibanid khans. These two important peculiarities of the power were soon expressed in remarkable architecture tendency. In 1619 Yalantush-biy who virtually independently governed Samarkand had begun the construction of Sher-Dor Madrasah. The rich colored finishing and the depiction of sun, tigers and antelopes tell of a pioneering approach to artistic expression, unique in the Islamic world. In three years Nadir Divan-begi had followed Yalantush-biy by construction of his own revolutionary structure (Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah). The entrance portal has depictions of 2 phoenix birds, 2 misshapen white deer and a "man-in-the-sun" face.

(enterance)

Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah in Bukhara forms part of the renowned Lyabi-Hauz Ensemble, the city’s most venerated site which serves as the backbone of the Old Town quarters.

Built in 1622-1623, the madrasah and adjacent khanaka (building for Sufi gatherings) were named after Nadir Divan-Begi, a patron and defender of Islam who was one of the most influential nobles in the court of the powerful Imamkuli Khan of the Ashtarkhanid Dynasty.

Construction began with the khanaka, followed by a caravanserai which was soon converted into a madrasah by order of Imamkuli Khan. The transformation necessitated the building of a portal, covered corridors at the building’s four corners and the addition of second-floor cells for students. By order of Nadir Divan-Begi, a pool was dug in the center of the square between Divan-Begi Madrasah and Kukeldash Madrasah, now known as Bukhara’s Lyabi-Hauz.

Nadir Divan-Begi Madrassah is famous for the distinctive mosaics around its portal, lurid depictions of mythical Semurg birds clasping white deer in their claws. While the imagery of birds is hardly unusual in regional art of that period, they were typically portrayed in miniature paintings, embroideries and carpet patterns rather than on religious buildings. The Semurg bird was considered a symbol of happiness, while deer represented torment, the fleeting beauty of this world and the realization that man’s destruction of nature was bound to cause pain. The original mosaic was not preserved, and the current montage is a 20th-century restoration.

Nadir Divan-Begi Khanaka is located to the west of Lyabi-Hauz and faces the east. Like many monuments in Bukhara, the khanaka is associated with the Sufi order. Sufi dervishes would sometimes live for long periods near the grave of their order’s founder, while others went on pilgrimage, knowing they could find shelter and hospitality wherever they roamed. In many cities, the khanaka served as the crowded hub of their activities. Hungarian traveler and Asian historian Arminius Vamberi visited Bukhara in 1863 under the pseudonym of Dervish Haji Mahmud-Rishad, and in his memoirs he describes the dervishes, public orators, actors and numerous other participants of Nadir Divan-Begi Khanaka’s incessant action.

The Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah and khanaka join with Lyabi Hauz and Kukeldash Madrasah inside the walls of Bukhara’s Old Town to form the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, one of the key attractions in Bukhara today.

Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah of Bukhara, along with the corresponding khanaka, were important spiritual centers of the city in historical times, and their active influence on the life and worldview of Bukhara’s inhabitants cannot be understated.

Khanaq of Nadir-divan-beghi

The Divanbegi Khanaka is located to the left of the pond and the Divanbegi madrassa is located to the right of the pond. They seem to be confused in this attraction listing. Divanbegi Khanaka was constructed in 1620 and was the first major structure on this site. The pond was dug next and named Divanbegi. The complex of structures surrounding the pond was later named the Lyab-i Hauz. The Khaknka (local language - Xonaqosi) was a dormitory for students of the nearby madrassa. It is not accessible and photos can only be taken from outside.

The portal is the main attraction, and there is a traditional Persian arch beneath. The tiles on the portal are mainly different shades of blue which is expected on the older buildings in Bukhara. The use of yellow throughout and white Persian writing was also a feature. The white lines which made various geometric shapes above the archway was also attractive. In the top left corner, tiles had fallen off and repairs to this section are urgently required. We walked to the northern side and got a good photo of the dome which is difficult to see from the side facing the pond. We thought that best photos of this building would probably be from a boat in the pond, but this is probably not allowed.

Nadir Divanbegi, was head of the tax department, and the emir's second in command. He married the emir's daughter, and constructed the dormitory (Khanaka), pond and madrassa to the east. The building was known by locals as the dormitory of the Sufis. We had read that it is now a museum, but didn't see any signs. This is one of the main historical buildings next to the pond, and a must see. The tomb of

Hazrat Khoja Karim is a short walk west of the building and the puppet museum, a short walk south.

                          The way home!!!