Subkhankulikhan Mosque

Subhonqulixon Friday Mosque — architectural monument in Bukhara. Built at the beginning of the 18th century by the Ashtarkhanid ruler Subhonqulixon inside the Ark. Currently the interior of the mosque houses the “Written Monuments” exhibition of the Ark Region Ethnographic Museum. This mosque is included in the national list of immovable objects of material and cultural heritage of Uzbekistan.

History

The Friday mosque was built during the reign of the Ashtarkhanid ruler Subhonqulixon. The monument served as the mosque building of the winter palace of the Bukhara rulers. Restoration work was carried out in the mosque during the period of the Bukhara governor Amir Olimkhon (1910—1920). The restoration works were supervised by the famous architect and woodcarver Shirin Murodov and master Gʻaffor, while the plastering work was performed by master Abdusalom.

Architecture

The winter hall of the mosque is a perfect rectangle, surrounded on the southeast and north sides by columned iwans. The iwan occupies a space of modest height. The southern side of the mosque faces the road, and the entrance to the courtyard is accessed from this side. The upper part of the iwan is covered with arches, and its surface is decorated with natural and geometric ornaments and inscriptions. The lower parts of the southern iwan columns are adorned with wooden muqarnas that descend downward. The mosque consists of four mihrabs. The winter hall of the mosque has eight doors: three on the north and south parts of the iwan, and two on the eastern part. The entrance doors are located on the southern part of the iwan, with a special niche leading to its vestibule. The surface is divided into 8 sq m, with a suspended ceiling in the center. The ceiling is decorated with wooden carving patterns. In the middle of the ceiling there is a small dome filled with large muqarnas; the dome’s center consists of separate rectangular chambers covered with muqarnas and windows. Its edges are covered with two decorative passages: the upper one adorned with a “girix” motif, the lower one bearing the Islamic word “Tayyiba,” one of the recurring Islamic symbols. The upper part of the mosque is surrounded by a complex “muqarnas” cornice. On the western side, at the top, the first scribe’s desk bears an epigraphic inscription with the date Hijri 1338 (Gregorian 1919), indicating the period of the mosque’s restoration.