Sarrafon Mosque

Sarrafon Mosque (Mulla Oriziy Mosque, Lower Sarrafon Mosque) — an architectural monument in Bukhara. This mosque was built in 1515–1516 during the reign of the Shaybanid dynasty that ruled the Bukhara Khanate. It is included in the national list of immovable objects of material and cultural heritage of Uzbekistan.

The Sarrafon mosque has been called by this name since the construction of the Toqi Sarrafon about 20 years later. The last restoration work in the mosque was carried out either at the end of the 19th century or in 1905. The ancient mosque has a complex architectural design. On the high dome of the mosque there is a two‑sided arch built. During the most recent restoration work, the western wall of the mosque was inscribed with letters in white on a blue background in the “qirma” style. Until the 1970s, the Sarrafon mosque functioned as a tea house and library. Even today the mosque is used as a tea house. On the portal at the entrance of the mosque, a plaque in blue background with white letters contains a calligraphic inscription of a prayer and a hadith. In the inscription the names of Allah and the ruler are written in gold, and partial restoration work was carried out in the 1980s. As of today the plaque is damaged, making it impossible to read it completely. The inscription above the gate states: “This building was completed in 1534–1535 during the reign of Ubaydulloh Bahodirxon.” This plaque was written by the famous calligrapher and poet Muhammad Darvish Qonok. On one of the pillars of the Sarrafon mosque the name of the master is inscribed in calligraphic script. This text was written at the end of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th century. It bears the inscription “Work of Master Faizullah”. On the eastern wall of the mosque there are square plaques made of plaster, on which four verses of poetry are written in calligraphic script. The plaque is written in white letters on a blue background in calligraphic script. On the western wall of the mosque, above the mihrab, a plaster sun plaque bears the Surah “Ikhlas” from the Qur’an in cursive script. On the right side of this sun plaque the 18th verse of the Surah “Jin” is written, and on the left side the 103rd verse of the Surah “Nisa” is written in cursive script, formed in a square shape from plaster.