Madrasah Chalpak

Chalpak madrasa — a madrasa located in the city of Kokand, Fergana region. The Chalpak madrasa was built by Nodira (1792—1842), the mother of Kokand khan Madalixon (Muhammad Alixon). Elsewhere it is said that the Chalpak madrasa was built by Yorqinoyim, the mother of Khudoyorkhan. The endowment deed (kept in the State Archives of the Republic of Uzbekistan) contains 27 seals. Among them are the seal of Kokand khan Madalixon, dated Hijri 1227, the seal of Sofi Alam, dated Hijri 1230, the seal of Muhammad Sharif Qazi, and others. In addition to the endowment deed, there is also Khudoyorkhan’s benevolence certificate stating that the madrasa’s endowment property was exempt from kharaj and tanob taxes.

The endowment deed specifies the appointment of the mutawalli and the distribution of the income from the endowment property as follows: the mutawalli position shall be assigned to a mudarris. Each year the mutawalli shall first spend the income on repairing the madrasa building and other needs, and divide the remaining part into 24 shares. Twelve shares go to the mudarris, ten shares to the students, and the remaining two shares are divided into nine parts, of which three parts go to the imam of the madrasa mosque, two parts to the muazzin, one part to the preacher, i.e., the khatib, one part to the guard, and two parts to the barber, as stipulated in the endowment deed.

The Chalpak madrasa consists of 29 rooms, several classrooms, a mosque, a ablution room and auxiliary buildings. Parts such as the mosque and the gatehouse have been preserved. The structure was built by craftsmen under the architect named Usta Bozor Muxandis. The building was transferred to municipal economy in the 1920s and several households lived there. It has not been renovated since that time. The madrasa is called “Chalpak” because initially the local governor’s wife, and later the city’s wealthy residents, prepared large quantities of chalpak there and distributed it to the needy.

In the years 2021‑2030, the Chalpak madrasa was included in the program of the Republic of Uzbekistan to promote the inclusion of cultural and natural heritage in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the Memory of the World Register

It was entered into the NATIONAL PLAN program.