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NURULLABOY PALACE (DURING THE KHIVA KHANATE)
Ismailov Tokhirjon Khushnudbek ugli
Teacher at Mamun university
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16566064
Introduction.
The Nurullaboy Palace tells the story of Khiva in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries and is no less beautiful and charming than other palaces in its beauty
and charm, grandeur and luxury. The construction of the Nurullaboy Palace began
during the reign of Said Muhammad Rahim II, who was the Khan of Khiva from
1863. Due to the lack of space in the Ichan Qala, the palace complex for the Khan's
family was built outside the historical city center in the north-west of Khiva, on
the site of a former garden. Before the start of construction, the garden belonged
to the wealthy merchant Nurullaboy, who agreed to sell his property only on the
condition that the palace complex to be built would be named after him in the
future. Thanks to this event, the palace still bears the merchant's name. The
construction of the Nurullaboy Palace began in 1904 and was continued after the
death of Muhammad Rahimkhan II in 1910, during the reign of the new Khan
Asfandiyar. In addition to Khiva craftsmen and artists, specialists from Russia and
Germany were also involved in the construction, who influenced the design of the
facility. Part of the building materials, including tiles and ceramics, were mainly
produced in St. Petersburg.
The palace was rebuilt at the request of Asfandiyorkhan, in particular, a
separate building with a ceremonial hall was built for receiving dignitaries. For
the construction of the reception hall, the Prime Minister of Khiva went to Moscow
to consult with leading architects. Later, architects led by the famous Russian
engineer A.M. Roop came to Khiva to build a city post office, a hospital, and, of
course, the reception room of the palace. Specially crafted bricks were specially
prepared for the reception hall of the Nurullabay Palace. The best masters of the
Khiva Khanate were engaged in bricklaying. The roof was covered with thin iron.
Parquet was laid in the halls of the palace, and Mennonite Germans living in Khiva
were invited to cover them and install windows and doors. The walls are covered
with oil paintings and carved patterns. The ceilings are decorated with flowers
and angels, for which Russian artists were invited. The ceiling was skillfully
decorated by Khiva masters with geometric ornaments, overlaid with a thin layer
of gold. The seventh room deserves special attention, its ceiling is decorated with
precious stones and peacock feathers, all seven rooms have porcelain fireplaces
delivered from Russia in whole, as well as luxurious electric chandeliers, which
were a novelty for Khiva. A small engine was installed to turn on all the lights at
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the same time. For some time, the palace served as a museum and an educational
institution, but today the residence has been renovated and restored to its
original appearance. Now it is a palace complex consisting of 9 large and small
rooms, a banquet hall, an archive, a madrasah, servants' and guards' rooms, a
garden and flower beds.
The reception hall is built in the northeast of the palace, in a unique European
style. The main style is oriented to the south. It has 1 floor, 7 rooms. The front and
back sides have a veranda. The main style of the madrasa faces east. In the
southeast corner there is a 2-story mosque with 4 pillars, in the northwest there
is a veranda, and around the courtyard there are classrooms and rooms. The outer
walls and flowerbeds in the 4 corners are decorated with baked bricks and tiles.
The garden adjoins the palace, surrounded by a high fortified wall, and
towers are made. There are doors on 3 sides of the garden, 2 doors are connected
to the palace, and the one in the east is connected to the treasury and reception
hall.
The ganchkor walls of the Nurullaboy Palace are decorated with gold and
silver, the “golden ceiling” of the hall is extremely beautiful, the intricate girikh
patterns in it are unique, the patterns on the internal and external gates, doors,
and porch pillars are a high example of Khorezm wood carving. The high doors in
the reception room, large colored windows, parquet floors, and tiled stoves are in
harmony with European architecture. The exterior is decorated with smooth
bricks and turquoise tiles in the form of a chessboard. The ganchkor masters
Khudoybergan Hoji, master Nurmat, Roʻzimat Mashari-pov, woodcarvers and
painters Bobojon Qalandarov, Ota Shaikh, Ismoil Abduniyozov, bricklayer Kuryoz
Bobojonov, and others participated in its construction.
The Nurullaboy Palace complex embodies the traditional features of
Khorezm national housing construction. The architecture of the building is
characterized by a mixture of traditional oriental architecture and European style
elements.
Also, the Nurullaboy Madrasah, which is part of this complex, was built in
1910-1912 by Khiva Khan Asfandiyorkhan. The madrasah is located in the Dishan
fortress on the southern side of the Nurullaboy complex, on the banks of the
Serchali Yap arig. The layout of the madrasah was similar to other madrasahs in
Khiva, with an entrance to the inner courtyard through an elbow-shaped hallway.
It was possible to get to the rooms from the courtyard, which were designed for
two or three people, and had a roof in the form of a balkha.
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In the southwest of the courtyard was a summer mosque, built in the Khiva
style of Khorezm architecture, with a traditional double-pane roof, and four
ornate columns on the porch. On the southern wall of the summer mosque, a
mihrab is traditionally carved into the wall. The winter mosque room of the
madrasah is entered through a hallway, also built in the Khiva style, with a
traditional double-pane roof and four ornate columns. The Nurullaboy madrasah
is built of square-shaped baked bricks. The roof is made of glazed bricks and blue
tiles. During the Soviet era, the madrasah was used as a public catering
establishment. At that time, the roof of the inner courtyard was covered with
wood. Currently, the roof of the courtyard is closed. Today, the madrasa hosts an
exhibition of craftsmen belonging to the Khiva City Craftsmen's Association.
References:
1.
Ismailov, T. (2025). Centers Of Enlightenment During The Khiva Khanate.
Current Approaches And New Research In Modern Sciences (Т. 4, Выпуск 7, сс.
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2.
Ismailov, T. (2025). Architectural monuments of the ancient city of Khiva.
International Conference on Management, Economics & Social Science, 3(2), 23–
24.
3.
Ismailov, T. (2022, November). The Fort That Speaks From The Past. In
Международная конференция академических наук (Vol.1, No.31, pp.1822).
4.
Ismailov, T. (2024). Palace Of The Khorezmshakh. Models and methods
inmodern science,3(3),5-7.
5.
Ismailov, T. 2024). Ko’hna va hamisha navqiron shahar. Молодые
ученые,2(2), 71-72.
6.
Ismailov, T. (2023). Embossed Khiva Pillars. Current approaches and new
research in Modern sciences, 2(4), 63-66.
7.
Ismailov, T. (2024). Monument Sof Ancient Khorezm. Current approaches
and new research in modern sciences, 3(4), 175-176.
