Pe Drumul Matasii in Uzbekistan 25. Madrese in oglinda: Ulugbek si Abdulazizkhan / On the Silk Road in Uzbekistan 25. Mirrored Maddrasah: Ulugbek and Abduazizkhan

The two madrasah I will present today have been built at a distance of aprox. 200 years. The first one was erected by Ulugbek, the grandson of Amir Timur (Tamerlane), on 1417. It was the first madrasah constructed by him, and the only surviving monument from the Timurides time. It is an example of good proportions and excellent design.

The second madrassah was constructed by the order of Abdulazizkhan, on 1651/52. Because he lost his throne in the same year, de decoration remained unfinished but still one can see the richness of decoration here. It is a luxuous building, influenced by Chinese architecture. This is the last construction of this size in Bukhara.

 

 

Sistemul kosh de a construi madrase  "in oglinda", pentru a le potenta valoarea arhitectonica si artistica, este caracteristic Buharei. Asa este si cazul celor doua madrase pe care vi le prezint astazi, construite la distanta de 200 de ani una de alta.

Pe Drumul Matasii in Uzbekistan 23. Madrasa Chor Minor si Complexul Bolo-khauz / On the Silk Road in Uzbekistan 23. The Chor Minor Maddrasah and the Bolo-khauz Complex

Chor Minor (meaning “Four Minarets”) is an interesting monument in Bukhara. It was built in 1807, as indicated on an inscription near the entrance. In fact, it is believed to be the remnants of a lost madrasah, constructe din 1589. This part, which we see today, was the entrance gate into madrasah, a building with four towers. These ones, in spite o their name never served as minarets, having  mainly a decorative role, with their blue domes. Three of them served as dwellings and into the fourth a small and narrow stair led to the second level, to the library. If you climb this stair nothing spectacular would be revealed.

 

Chor Minor was built by a rich merchant of Turkmen origin, called Niyazkul. The legend says that he had four daughters whom he couldn’t marry. So he widespred the rumor that each minaret represents one of his daughter and so, due to the beauty and fame of the minarets, each girl found a good husband very soon.

Inside the building, a big chamber served as mosque but now it is a souvenir shop. In the area, few pretty schoolgirls, wearing uniforms with fine embroyderies, cheered up the hot atmosphere determined by the Uzbek sun.

Very near the Ark Fortress, the Bolo-khauz (meaning “childrens”pool”) drew our attention. There, the Bibi Khanoum (Old Queen) Mosque, constructed by the mother of Abdul Fayed Khan’s, presents us with the beauty of its famous ayvan, with nicely decorated ceiling. Some craftsmen are selling there their products.

The almost white interior is sober. The floor is covered by praying carpets. The short minaret outside is more recently built: 1917, by the famous local craftsman Shirin Muradov.

 

Pe niste stradute inguste si fara trotuar, cu case cu acoperisuri aproape plate si geamuri putine, am ajuns la Chor Minor, un monument interesant al Buharei. Desi numele sau, care inseamna “Patru minarete” te duce cu gandul la o moschee, se pare ca aceasta constructie este ceea ce a ramas dintr-o madrasa si a indeplinit rol de poarta de intrare, cu patru turnuri. Madrasa a fost construita in 1807 de catre Califul Niyazkul, un negustor bogat de origine turcmena, dupa cum indica o inscriptie de langa intrare. Altii afirma ca medresa pierduta ar fi fost construita in 1589.

Pe Drumul Matasii in Uzbekistan 22. Chasma Ayub si Moscheea Magoki Attori / On the Silk Road in Uzbekistan 22. Chasma Ayub and Magoki Attori Mosque

Near the Mausoleum of Ismail Samani, Chasma Ayub reminds us of the Job’s well from the Bible (Jobis Ayub in Arabic). This construction has been renewed more times, last time in the 16^th century. The conic dome is unusual for Bukhara, and comes from the 12^th century. There is a Museum of Water Supplies inside.

Not far from our hotel, the Magoki Attori Mosque is one of the oldest monument in Bukhara. It was constructed in the place of a pagan temple, dedicated to Siun, the god of the moon. This one stayed on the place were once a market for idols, medicines and herbs (“attori”means “herb”) was. It is believed that Jews worshiped together with Muslims in this mosque. The name of “magok” means “in the pit”, because the mosques is under the soil level. The portal is a masterpiece representative for the

Islamic architecture, and it was added in the 16^th century. A Museum of the Carpet has been open inside, on 1991.

We also visited a local ceramic workshop, which runs in the family for six generations. 

 

In apropierea Mausoleului lui Ismail Samani se afla Chasma Ayub, constructie legata de biblicul Iov (Ayub in araba), care a batut in pamant cu bastonul sau si a descoprit un izvor cu apa buna de baut. Ea a fost refacuta de mai multe ori, forma de astazi – caracterizata printr-un dom conic, neobisnuit pentru zona Buharei – datand din secolul al 16-lea. Izvorul de apa tamaduitoare, gasit de Iov, se afla si astazi in interiorul care gazduieste in prezent un Muzeu al Resurselor de Apa.

Pe Drumul Matasii in Uzbekistan 20. Mausoleul Samanizilor / On the Silk Road in Uzbekistan 20. Mausoleum of Samani Dynasty

On our first morning in Bukhara we visited the mausoleum of the Samani dynasty. In the middle of a park, it seems that the construction is floating among the trees and flowers. It reminded me on some constructions I have seen in India.

The mausoleum has been constructed at the end of the 9^th century and the beginning of the 10^th. Ismail Samani, the founder of the last Persian dynasty in Central Asia, constructed the mausoleum for his father, in spite of the Islamic interdiction to erect a construction over a tomb. He only took the example of a caliph from Baghdad. The mausoleum became in time a family crypt, were his father, he himself and his grandson Nasra are burried.

This is the oldest intact monument in Bukhara. The locals covered it with sand to protect it during Genghis Khan’s invasion. It is also the first mausoleum constructed in Central Asia.

To put a hemi-spheric dome on a cube, without inside columns, means very precise mathematical calculations. But this was not a problem for Bukhara, a world center for science by that time!

Using only baked bricks, beautiful patterns have been created out of vertical and horizontal lines but also using disks and rosettes. All in one, the monument is a masterpiece which mirrors his eternity in a little pond beside.

In prima dimineata la Bukhara, primul obiectiv vizitat a fost – nu intamplator – mausoleul dinastiei Samanizilor. Aflat in parcul cu acelasi nume, mica constructie de o perfectiune neasteptata, pare ca pluteste intre arbori si flori. De indata ce am privit-o mai indeaproape, mi-a amintit de multe constructii vazute in India.

Pe Drumul Matasii in Uzbekistan 17. Mausoleul lui Pakhlavan Mahmoud, Khiva / On the Silk Road in Uzbekistan 17. Pakhlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum, Khiva

There are four types of buildings which in Central Asia represent the culture, the religion, the art, and the aesthetics of the people who erected them. These 4M are: the medresah, the mosque, the minaret and the mausoleum. Usually, a mausoleum consists of a square bloque of stone, representing Earth solidity and a round cupola upon it, representing the Heaven. In time, because of the great number of people coming – even from distant lands – to pray at the tombs, the mausoleums have been changed into real complex of buildings, meant to give shelter and food to the pelerins.

Pakhlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum is the symbol of Khiva. It has the single blue cupola in town, and the biggest. The actual complex was erected in 1810 by Muhammad-Rahim Khan I, who chosed to be buried here also.

Pakhlavan Mahmoud leaved in the XIIIth. Century. He was a poet, a Sufi teacher, a professional wrestler and a healer. Praised for his unusual strength, similar with that of Hercule’s, he was known even in Iran and India. There are countless legends about him. Because Sufi adepts have to earn their money through a usual profession, Pakhlavan Mahmoud had a fur shop, making robes and hats. His shop was the place were he has been buried. The first mausoleum has been very modest compared with the actual one.

Because he was such a famous man, other two Khans wanted to be buried here: Abdul Gazi and Anusha.

 

In orasele din Asia Centrala, patru sunt tipurile de cladiri prin care s-a manifestat cultura, religia, arta si estetica acelor popoare: medresa, moscheea, minaretul si mausoleul. Mausoleul a fost construit pentru a cinsti memoria cuiva si avea, de obicei, forma unui cub – reprezentand soliditatea Pamantului – cu o cupola deasupra , care reprezenta Cerul. Cu timpul, pentru ca pelerinii veneau sa se inchine la cei considerati sfinti, in jurul mausoleului au aparut si alte constructii care sa ii adaposteasca si sa ii hraneasca. In felul acesta, mausoleul a devenit un adevarat complex. Desi Coranul cere credinciosilor sa se roage doar lui Alah, considerand un pacat rugaciunea adresata unui om, numerosi pelerini – inclusiv din tari straine – au batut in timp drumurile Asiei pentru a se inchina in locuri considerate sfinte. Acesti 4M ai constructiilor islamice se regasesc in fiecare dintre ele. 

                                                             cupola in renovare

 Mausoleul Pakhlavan Makhmud

kuba (se afla in varful cupolei)

cladirea in care erau adapostiti pelerinii

Mausoleul lui Pakhlavan Mahmoud este unul dintre cele mai impunatoare monumente din Khiva. Cupola sa (aflata in renovare cand am fost acolo) este cea mai mare din oras, asimilata fiind simbolului Khivei. Ea este si singura de culoare albastra. Intreg interiorul constructiei este albastru, datorita placarii peretilor cu placi de majolica albastra. Bogatia detaliilor este coplesitoare.

Pakhlavan Mahmoud a fost o figura complexa a istoriei Khivei, care a trait in secolul al XIII-lea. Puterea sa neobisnuita, laudata precum cea a lui Hercule, era cunoscuta pana in Iran si India  Poet, filosof Sufi, luptator si vindecator, el a devenit, dupa moarte,  patronul orasului. Numeroase legende s-au tesut in jurul sau, care ii scot in evidenta calitatile admirate. Deoarece credinta Sufi cerea practicantilor sai sa aiba si o meserie onorabila, de pe urma careia sa traiasca, Pakhlavan Mahmoud avea o blanarie, ocupandu-se cu confectionarea caciulilor si mantiilor din blana. Se spune ca in acel loc a si fost inmormantat. 

Mausoleul pe care il putem vizita acum a fost cladit in 1810, de catre Hanul Muhammad-Rahim I. Acesta a si ales sa fie inmormantat in acelasi loc cu eroul venerat. Se spune ca, initial, mausoleul a fost mic si modest. Intr-o camera mai mica, in spatele unui paravan lucrat cu fildes, se afla sarcofagul eroului. Tot in acest mausoleum sunt inmormantati doi Hani din secolul al XVII-lea: Abdul Gazi si Anusha si unul din secolul al XIX-lea, cel care a construit mausoleul actual, Muhammad-Rahim I.

 mormintele lui Abdul Gazi (stanga), Muhammad Rahim I (centru) si Anusha (dreapta)

Pe Drumul Matasii in Uzbekistan 9. Tashkent - monumente si fantani / On the Silk Road in Uzbekistan 9. Tashkent - Monuments and Fountains

The first fountain we have seen in the park around the Amir Timur monument. There are a lot in the city. The water and the noise it makes brings a cool air around them, which is great in the hot summer day. Even now, on September, it was pleasant.


The Independence Monument, made of red granite, was constructed on 1992, one year later after Uzbekistan proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union. On the pedestal, a column bears a bronze globe with the Uzbekistan map. A young mother with a little child on her lap represents the young independent country and its future.

In front of the near-by building of the Senate, a long, big, fountain is the playground of young people. There are many fountains in the Independence square/park.

To the eastern part of the park, the complex of WW2 is an interesting monument, partly with traditional elements. It consists of the sad mother’s monument, mourning his sons and an eternal flame. During the WW2, 400000 Uzbek soldiers lost their lives on the front. Their names appear on copper pages of books in an open gallery near-by. The complex is really impressive. It was constructed on 1999.

Not far from here, the Earthquake Memorial or the Monument of Courage reminds on the terrible earthquake on 26 April 1966. It has the magnitude of 9 on the Richter’s scale and produced damage on a surface bigger than 10 sq.km. Luckily there were few human victims, because almost all the buildings have been earthen ones, with no more than one level. A labradorite cube, split in two, indicates the day and the hour  of the disaster. The monument itself shows a mother with a child whom she tries to protect with her raised hand. In front of them, the man protect them both with his body. 

All these monuments are places were people come and put flowers and young couples take their wedding photos.

Plecand de la hotel spre Piata Independentei, prima fantana apare chiar in parcul din jurul monumentului lui Amir Timur.

Dupa cum am scris deja, am vazut o multime de fantani in oras, fie din microbuz, fie chiar plimbandu-ne pe langa ele. Apa lor si zgomotul pe care il face curgand, induc o senzatie de racoare foarte placuta in canicula zilei. In imediata apropiere, pe Broadway, apare mai intai o fantana mica, plina de nuferi si inconjurata de alte flori si arbori, apoi una mai mare, decorata cu flori de bumbac, din piatra. Oamenii cauta locuri pe banci in apropierea lor, sa simta racoarea.

Si la intrarea in Piata Independentei sunt fantani dar nu functioneaza. In apropierea Monumentului Independentei sunt mai multe fantani, in jurul carora trebaluiesc echipe de femei, imbracate in uniforme verzi, caracteristice (mai vazusem si la alte spatii verzi).

Monumentul Independentei este reprezintat de un piedestal inalt pe care se afla o coloana care poarta in varf cu glob din bromz, pe care se distinge harta Uzbekistanului. Intregul monument este di granit rosu. In fata, este asezata o femeie tanara cu un copil in brate, reprezentand tanarul stat si viitorul sau. Monumentul a fost ridicat in 1992, la un an dupa declararea independentei.

 Monumentul Independentei, 1992

Nu departe, o cladire in stil clasic adaposteste Senatul republicii. In fata sa, o fantana mare prilejuieste catorva tineri o "baie" inedita.

 in fata Senatului

 zile calde de septembrie

In partea de rasarit a parcului, un complex monumental, construit in 1999, este dedicat celor 400000 de soldati uzbeci, cazuti in cel de-al doilea razboi mondial. O femeie indurerata, reprezentand tara care isi plange fiii, are in fata o flacara vesnica. Monumentul este incadrat pe doua laturi cu coridoare deschise, cu acoperisul sprijinit de stalpi traditionali. Pe un coridor, nisele din perete adapostesc carti cu file din cupru, pe care sunt scrise numele tuturor celor care nu s-au mai intors din razboi. E cu adevarat impresionant sa vezi atatea nume! Realizezi astfel mult mai bine intreaga grozavie a unui razboi.

 Monumentul celui de-al doilea razboi mondial, 1999

Am mai spus ca Tashkentul - asa cum il vedem astazi - este un oras relativ nou, construit dupa cutremurul de magnitudine 9 pe scara Richter, care l-a lovit in dimineata zilei de 26 aprilie 1966, ora 5.23,distrugandu-l aproape in intregime. Din fericire, au fost putine victime omenesti pentru ca majoritatea caselor erau din pamant si nu mai inalte de un etaj. Pagubele s-au intins pe o raza de 10 km patrati. Locuitorii sunt obisnuiti cu asemenea fenomene deoarece aici, la poalele Muntilor Tien Shan, chiar sub oras, se afla o importanta falie tectonica. Nici un cutremur de pana acum nu a mai avut insa aceasta magnitudine! Monumentul Curajului a fost ridicat la 10 ani dupa cutremur (1976) si este alcatuit dintr-un bloc din labradorit negru, care poarta inscrise data si ora sinistrului. O crapatura merge pana la baza monumentului, semnificand cutremurul. O femeie isi tine in brate pruncul si incearca sa il fereasca cu mana. In fata sa, barbatul, ii apara cu corpul sau, pe amandoi.

 Monumentul Curajului, 1976