Madrasa of Abd Al-Aziz-Khan 

    The madrasah is situated opposite the madrasah of Ulugbek Bukhara. It was built in 1651-1652 according to the order of Ashtarkhanid Abd al-Aziz-khan, who had become famous for de- in feat of the Indian army in Balkh. The new madrasah was sup- posed to show glory and power of the governor. The madrasah resembles the one of Mir-i Arab: high portal, two dome halls in the front part, two-storeyed hujras on the perimeter, four ayvans in the yard, round corner towers.

 

     The size of the madrasah is 60x48 meters. In its northeast corner there is a darskhana, in the northwest - the winter mosque. The summer mosque with a mihrab is situated in the southern ayvan. The tympana of the portals and arches of the facades were decorated with majolica, and the central portal arch has nice stalactite structure. The outer decor is decorated with mosaic and a majolika panel showing a blossoming bush in a vase, fantastic serpentiform creations, and other things. The main portal's sides are covered with pictures of fantastic birds flying to the sun.

    

    The architectural proportions of the madrasah are simpler then the ones of Ulugbek's madrasah, but its size and inte- riors are much more grandious. Its domes, niche vaults of the darskhana, winter and summer mosques are decorated with a system of refined alabaster stalactites such as <<moukanas» and «<iroki». Me- dieval masters were especially goog in making mosque plafonds where they used images of little vaults, stars, crossed arches filled with vegetative and flower pattern.