ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
8
"FACADES OF UZBEK MADRASAS OF THE XIX-EARLY XX CC:
CONSTRUCTIVE AND DECORATIVE ANALYSIS"
Salokhutdinova Munavvar Golib qizi
doctoral student (PhD)
Samarkand State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering,
Faculty of Architecture, Department of Theory and History of Architecture
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15688842
Abstract:
The article is devoted to the study of facade architecture of late
madrasahs of the 19th - early 20th centuries in Central Asia. On the basis of
comparative analysis of madrasahs of Bukhara, Khiva and Kokand schools the
typical features of facade design are revealed: portal composition, majolica
decoration, epigraphy, symmetry and alignment of contour elements. It is shown
that the facade was the main means of expressing the style of the ideology of the
monument in the context of local traditions and colonial influence. The
tendencies of preserving canons or departing from them in different urban
environments are analysed.
Key words:
madrasah, Central Asia, Bukhara school, Khiva decor, Fergana
tradition, dome, peshtak, majolica, facade, decorative and plastic methods.
In Central Asian architecture of the 19th and early 20th centuries,
madrasah facades underwent a marked evolution, reflecting local traditions and
new trends. This period has long been considered a time of "decline", but
modern research shows that it was then that distinctive schools and decorative
programmes emerged. The later madrasas of Central Asia, despite a period of
political upheaval and colonial pressure, demonstrate a vivid image of façade
architecture. Their external appearance reflects the regional traditions of
Bukhara, Khiva and Kokand, continuing the centuries-old corpus of Islamic
architecture The purpose of this study is to characterise the structural and
decorative features of the facades of these monuments.[6]. The facades of the
late madrasas of Central Asia of the 19th - early 20th century are the result of a
complex interaction of traditional architectural canons, local building schools
and cultural exchange processes, which intensified under the conditions of
political transformations associated with the colonial expansion of the Russian
Empire.
Bukhara architecture
is dominated by the type of neighbourhood
madrassahs due to the prevalence of private order, which is reflected in the
corresponding facade composition. Bukhara monuments are characterised by
laconic solutions: facades are predominantly formed of smooth brickwork,
ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
9
devoid of abundant decorative decoration, with the exception of single elements
of carved terracotta and lancet niches. Peshtak is usually emphasised by strict
symmetry, with architectural elements such as guldast towers often absent. In
the later architecture of madrasahs of the late 19th - early 20th century, a
tendency to return to the classical spatial-planning scheme with the dominance
of symmetrical facades and emphasised portals is revealed, but the decorative
solution remains restrained, indicating the conservative nature of the local
tradition.[3].
The facades of the
Khiva madrasahs, on the contrary, demonstrate the
stability of ceremonial monumentality and decorative richness. A characteristic
motif is the use of majolica ornamentation in white and blue colour scheme,
which covers the peshtaks and main facades, while the domes of the guldast
towers are decorated with solid green majolica with geometric friezes. The
typology of facades remains stable throughout the period under consideration:
symmetrical single courtyard compositions with a pronounced vertical
dominance of the portal ensemble, lancet niches, loggias and guldasta towers
prevail. Private or small madrasas of the second line are characterised by
simplified facade solutions and minimal decoration, which indicates the socio-
typological differentiation of Khiva's architectural heritage
.
[1]
The Kokand school
and the architecture of the Fergana Valley are
distinguished by a pronounced connection with folk forms of architecture and
memorial construction in East Turkestan. The facades of late madrasahs are
characterised by symmetrical or partially asymmetrical compositions, high
peshtak with shallow lancet niches, as well as the use of large diamond-shaped
and star-shaped ornaments in tile decoration. In contrast to Bukhara and Khiva,
in Fergana and Kokand there is an aspiration to individualisation of facade
solutions, which is especially evident in the second half of the 19th - early 20th
centuries: there is freedom in the layout of volumes, creative combination of
smooth brickwork, carved terracotta and polychrome tiles, and motifs
characteristic of local textile production and carpet weaving are used in painting
the ceilings of aivans.[2] The colouristic palette of facades and interiors expands
significantly, green, red, ochre, blue and other colours predominate in the
paintings, which testifies to the formation of a distinctive decorative
programme.
During the colonial and eclectic period (late 19th and early 20th centuries),
there was a partial appropriation of Western European architectural elements,
especially in palace buildings. Semi-circular arches, stucco vignettes, shaped
ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
10
windows with ornate platbands appear on facades, but religious architecture -
madrasas and mosques - retains conservative traditional features,
demonstrating a gravitation towards historicism and preservation of local
canons.
Summing up, the facades of late madrasahs in Central Asia are
characterised by a variety of typological and decorative solutions due to the
local specificity of construction schools (Bukhara, Khiva, Kokand), the stability of
classical architectural models, the influence of folk crafts, as well as the partial
reception of European forms at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries.[5] The leading
features of facades are symmetrical composition, accentuated peshtak with
guldasta towers (in Khiva and Fergana), the use of polychrome majolica and
terracotta, and in the later monuments of Fergana - individualised and creatively
rethought approach to facade design, marking the transition from strict canon to
freedom of architectural expression.
Table: Main features of facades of late madrasas in Uzbekistan (XIX -
early XX cc.)
Region
Facade
composition
Decor
and
materials
Planning
Features and trends
Examples of
madrasas
Bukhara
Modest, laconic;
predominance of
symmetry;
sometimes
asymmetry
Smooth
brickwork,
rare
carved
terracotta,
lancet niches,
minimum of
tiles
More
often
single
courtyard,
rectangular,
sometimes
asymmetrical;
absence
of
guldast in most
private
madrasas
Predominance
of
private order; return
to
the
classical
scheme at the end of
the 19th century;
embedded
in
residential buildings;
conservatism,
historicisation
Rashid
(1870s),
Hussaini
(1884-1885),
Khoja Qurbon
(1906-1907)
Khiva
Monumental,
ceremonial; high
peshtak
with
guldasta towers;
deep lancet niches
Rich majolica
(white-blue,
green) carpet
ornament,
floral
and
geometric
decoration
Symmetrical,
two-storey,
enclosed
courtyard;
classical scheme
Clear
distinction
between
"khan's"
(rich decoration) and
private
(simplicity,
functionality);
continuity
of
decoration;
dominance
of
traditional forms
Кутлуг
Мурад-инак
(1804–1812),
Аллакули-хан
(1834-1835),
Мухаммад
Амин-хан
(1851-1855),
Матнияза
Диван-беги
(1871-1873),
Мухаммад
Рахим-хан II
(1871-1873)
ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
11
Region
Facade
composition
Decor
and
materials
Planning
Features and trends
Examples of
madrasas
Kokand /
Fergana
Valley
Symmetrical and
asymmetrical
facades;
tall
peshtak; narrow
guldasta towers
with skylights
Majolica with
large
diamond-
shaped
and
star-shaped
ornament,
paintings
of
ceilings
of
quinces
(vegetal
ornament,
bright palette:
green,
red,
blue, ochre),
carved
terracotta
Single
courtyard,
rectangular,
often
with
quoins;
sometimes
asymmetrical;
sometimes
incorporating
memorial motifs
Influence
of
folk
architecture
and
memorial forms of
East
Turkestan;
departure from the
canon
to
individualisation and
creative freedom in
the
early
20th
century; decorative
motifs from carpet
weaving
and
embroidery.
Narbuta-biya
(1799), Ming
Oim
(1802),
Madali Khan
(mid-19th
century), Jami
(Andijan,
1874-1877),
Mullo-Kirgiz
(1907-1912),
Ota
Kuzi
(1904-1912)
Conclusions
The facades of the late madrasas of Central Asia are characterised by
diversity due to regional schools, the combination of classical and folk traditions,
and the influence of European architecture during the colonial period.
Symmetry, peshtaks with guldasta towers, and majolica ornamentation
remain the leading features of the facades, but in Fergana, from the late 19th
century, there was a departure from the canon in favour of creative freedom and
quotation of folk motifs.
In general, the evolution of the facades of late madrasahs is a movement
from strict monumentality to individualisation, from the repetition of the
classics to the search for new forms based on local traditions.
Literature:
1.
Weimarn B. In Architectural and decorative art of Uzbekistan / B. V.
Weimarn. - Moscow : izdvo i tip. State Architectural Publishing House, 1948. - 62
с.
2.
The art of architects of Uzbekistan : a collection of articles / Academy of
Sciences of the Uzbek SSR. Institute of Art History ; responsible. Ed. Dr. of Art
History G. A. Pugachenkova. - Tashkent : Izd. of the Academy of Sciences of the
Uzbek SSR, 1962-1969. - 4 т.
3.
Mankovskaya L. Typological bases of Central Asian architecture (IX - early
XX century) / L. Yu. Ed. G. A. Pugachenkova. - Tashkent : Fan, 1980. - 183 с.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE
International scientific-online conference
12
4.
The Art of Architects of Uzbekistan: a collection of articles / Academy of
Sciences of the Uzbek SSR. Institute of Art Criticism ; ed. Ed. by Doctor of Art
History G. A. Pugachenkova. - Tashkent : Publishing house of the Academy of
Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, 1962-1969. – 4 т.
5.
Man'kovskaya L. Yu. Typological Bases of the Architecture of Central Asia
(IX - the Beginning of the XX Century) / L. Yu. Ed. G. A. Pugachenkova. -
Tashkent : Fan, 1980. – 183 p.
6.
Kondryakova P.A. LATE MEDRESE IN THE CONTEXT OF CULTURAL
ARCHITECTURE OF CENTRAL ASIA XIX VEKA // Scientific and Educational
Journal for Students and Teachers "StudNet" № 7/2022
7.
Azimov I.M. Architecture of Uzbekistan XVIII - early XX cc.: Traditions and
local peculiarities : Cand. ... Doctor of Architecture : 18.00.01 / Azimov Iskandar
Mukhtarovich. - Tashkent, 1999. - 343 с. : ill.
