Tilya-Kori Madrasah

Samarkand, uzbekistan

History

Quick Facts

Location: Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Architect: Construction ordered by Yalangtush Bakhodur
Date Built: 1646-1660
What Society Built it: Khanate of Bukhara

What it Is

An elite Islamic school (madrasah) and grand mosque in the Registan square in the storied city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the Tilya-Kori Madrasah was the final madrasah built in the historic Registan square. Like the Sher-Dor Madrasah, construction on the madrasah began under the orders of  governor Yalangtush Bakhodur, in 1646, representing the Janid Khans governing from Bukhara. Construction was incomplete when he died, however, and it was left unfinished until Soviet architects completed the prayer hall's dome in the modern era. Unlike Registan's other madrasahs, the Tilya-Kori Madrasah served as a grand mosque as well as an elite residential college. As such, it lacks the lecture halls (darskhans) typical of other central Asian madrasahs, and only has one floor of cell-like student dormitories (hujras). 

Registan

Registan is an icon of Samarkand; the heart of the ancient city adorned by three striking madrasahs. These three , Sher-Dor, Ulugh Beg, and Tilya-Kori, date from as far back as the early 15th century when Timurid conquerors were masters of the city. The name Registan literally means "sandy place"; a site initially reserved for public executions where bloodied sand could be changed easily. It also served as a public square, where royal proclamations would be read to the public. During the Timurid Renaissance, a revival of arts and sciences in the Muslim world, the first madrasah was built by the Timurid Mirza Ulugh Beg. Centuries later, the Khanate of Bukhara built the other two, one in the form of Ulugh Beg's and the other in a completely different form. These madrasahs were the most prestigious schools in the city, educating leading scholars of the time.

Facts

The name "Tilya-Kori" translates to "the Gilded" in Persian, due to its ornate decorations: its interior is decorated in the kunal style of golden ornamentation.
Previous to construction, the site was occupied by a caravanserai, though by the time of the construction of the madrasah, trade had declined to a point where its loss no longer hurt the city.
The Tilya-Kori Madrasah was the third and final madrasah built in Registan

The Build

Statistics

Length: 586 blocks
Width: 555 blocks
Height: 248 blocks
Total blocks: 4822953
Build time: 67.7 hours

Gallery

Renders and Screenshots