Qilichbek Qo‘rg‘oncha Jome Mosque

Qilichbek Qorg‘oncha Mosque — an architectural monument located in the Qorg‘oncha MFY of the city of Qarshi, Qashqadaryo region. According to the decision of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On measures to fundamentally improve activities in the protection of material cultural heritage objects”, PQ-4068 dated December 19, 2018, the mosque was included in the national list of immovable objects of Uzbekistan’s material and cultural heritage — placed under state protection.

History

The Qorg‘oncha mosque is historically more known by the name “Qorg‘oncha khanqah”. The Qorg‘oncha mosque is considered one of the pilgrimage sites of Qarshi. Every year during Ramadan the Qur’an is recited in the mosque. Documents from 1924 show that the mosque owned a substantial waqf property. Among them, waqf lands in the village of Mug‘ilon in the Kasbi district. From the waqf property the khanqah mosque’s imam received 25, the sufi 15 and the mutawalli 15 poods of grain as payment. In 1954 the historian Frenkel visited this place. He noted that the mosque was built in the early 20th century. He also pointed out that until that time the local authorities used it as a red corner. When Frenkel arrived, he saw that it had been turned into a wheat warehouse. However, as Frenkel said, the mosque was not built in the early 20th century. Several waqf documents from the early 19th century also mention the Qorg‘oncha topic. Inside the mosque, on one of the columns, there is an inscription “Hijri year 1248”. From this it follows that there are estimates that the Qorg‘oncha mosque was completed in the years 1832–1833. In December 2021 the Qilichbek Qorg‘oncha Mosque was renovated and handed over for use.

Architecture

The Qorg‘oncha mosque consists of a minaret, a pool, walls and a small cemetery. The mosque is built of fired brick, and the building site is raised higher than the surrounding area. The eastern and northern sides have an iwan. Inside the brick building there are four wooden columns. The iwan is supported by seven wooden columns. The doors and columns are decorated with carved ornamentation. The ceilings of the mosque roof are covered in a beautiful manner with small wooden pieces and are patterned with various motifs. Its overall appearance leaves a very good impression. In the north‑eastern corner of the mosque there is a brick minaret that resembles the Chor Bakr minaret in Bukhara and the Mirzo Ulug‑bek madrasa minarets in Gijduvan. They have been restored. Next to the minaret, on the western side, a not very large pool is built. It is made of large stones arranged in eight rows in the shape of a staircase. The pool recalls the pools of Bukhara. To the west of the pool there is a small cemetery. Around the cemetery and the minaret there are walls; their remains are visible.