Fayzobod xonaqohi

Fayzobod Xonaqohi — a architectural monument in Bukhara (1598—1599). It was built by Dostum Devonbegi during the reign of Bukhara Khan Shaybani Abdullakhon II. The Xonaqohi is included in the national list of immovable objects of Uzbekistan's material and cultural heritage.

History

Fayzobod Xonaqohi was erected by Dostum Devonbegi during the reign of Shaybani Abdullakhon II, who ruled the Bukhara Khanate, in the years 1598—1599. The construction of Xonaqohs was widespread in Bukhara architecture in the second half of the 16th century. A Xonaqoh served as a darveshxona and was a place of the Sufis. Especially, the building of Xonaqohs was common during the Shaybani dynasty period. In the Fayzobod district there was a cemetery, where the grave of one of the representatives of the Naqshbandi order, Poyanda Muhammad Axsh Fayzobodiy, and his descendants is located. Poyanda Muhammad Axsh Fayzobodiy died in 1601. Fayzobod Xonaqohi stands out for being built with an open façade compared to other architectural monuments. The Xonaqoh-mosque was founded by the Sufi Shohi Axsi. The Xonaqoh made extensive use of Islamic manuscripts and books.

Muhammad Axsi Fayzobodiy, on his own initiative, built a complex here consisting of a khanqah, cells, and a domed prayer hall. According to waqf documents from the 16th–17th centuries, there were dozens of shops, a mill, and a bath that were the property of the khanqah. In 1970–1971, renovation work was carried out in the khanqah. The cemetery on the site was demolished and turned into a flower market. In 2008–2012, the khanqah was restored by staff of a special scientific repair development workshop. The interior of the khanqah was decorated with a carved domed ceiling. The pattern of the plant ornament in the khanqah, executed in the “twenty” and “white‑gray” style, reflects a delicate harmony. The khanqah is currently being used as a mosque. A new mausoleum in front of the khanqah was rebuilt and renovated.

Architecture

Fayzobod xonaqohi was built in the Central Asian architectural style. The mosque is constructed of baked brick, wood, stone and plaster.

Fayzobod khanqah is multi‑room, with a front dome, dimensions 35 × 28.8 m. In its centre is a large domed hall (12.7 × 12.7 m), surrounded on three sides by a vaulted gallery. At the front side there is a huge portal, on the two side walls there are two‑storey chambers as well as a vaulted passage. The portal and the chamber walls are fitted with wooden lattice windows, the hall dome is set on an eight‑sided drum. Light enters the hall through the windows of the drum. Inside the khanqah, under the dome, the interior is delicately decorated with twenty panels of pattern. Grey and yellow stone are carved with Islamic motifs. The arches are adorned with muqarnas, the cornice with simple patterns. Fayzobod khanqah is distinguished by being built in an open‑vaulted gallery form. The ruined Fayzobod khanqah was restored in the 1970s‑1980s of the 20th century by the Bukhara special scientific restoration workshop (masters A. Haitov, R. Qurbonov and others). This monument was built in the Chor style. On 30 August 2000 a law was adopted, and it was entered into the UNESCO World Heritage List.