Ensemble of Khoja-Gaukushon in Bukhara
Khoja-Gaukushon Ensemble
Khoja-Gaukushon (Khoja-Gaukushan Ensemble) is one of the largest ensembles in the center of the city of Bukhara.
Overview
Together with a number of other buildings in the central part of the city, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Gaukushon means "killing bulls", referring to a large commercial area of Bukhara, where there was previously a slaughterhouse. In the 16th century, a large madrasah and a cathedral mosque were built on this square, with the Khodja Kalon minaret towering high and wide, second only to the Kalyan minaret of the 12th century.
The Gaukushon Madrasah was built in 1570 during the reign of the Uzbek khan Abdullah Khan II and had a traditional courtyard layout. The trapezoidal shape of the building is explained by its location at the fork of the streets.
The buildings on Gaukushon Square were funded by Sheikh Khoja Khadja, known by the nickname "Khoja Kalon" ("Great Khoja"), which is reflected in the name of the mosque and the entire complex.
The Khodja Kalon Madrasah was built in 1570 at a fork in the streets, giving it a trapezoidal shape that, however, did not prevent the preservation of the traditional courtyard layout.
In 1598, a cathedral mosque (masjid-i jami), called the Khoja Mosque, was built north of the madrasah. The builder of the mosque, Khoja Kalon, is buried in the family necropolis of the Juybar sheikhs – Chor-Bakr.
Architectural Significance
This ensemble belongs to the architecture of medieval Bukhara during the reign of the first khans of the Sheibanid dynasty, when the capital was moved from Samarkand to Bukhara.
Masters of the Bukhara school of architecture in the 15th-17th centuries used effective but low-cost techniques in building structures and decoration, such as intersecting arch vaults and two-color ganch decor known as "kirma" and "chaspak".
In the 17th century, colorful and sometimes monumental zoomorphic images with ancient pre-Islamic motifs appeared in majolica decor, often depicting birds and winged serpents flying toward the sun.
The features of the Bukhara school are especially evident in the buildings of madrasahs, minarets, sardobes, and memorial structures like the Khazir.
Becoming the leading architectural school in Central Asia in the 15th-17th centuries, the Bukhara school significantly influenced the architecture of the entire region.