Bibi-Khanym Mosque

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Bibi-Khanym Mosque (Persian: مسجد بی بی خانم) is a famous historical mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, whose name comes from the wife of 14th-century warlord, Timur.[1]

After his Indian campaign,[2] Timur in 1399 decided to undertake the construction of a gigantic cathedral mosque in his new capital, Samarkand. The size of the outer walls (see picture) are 167 metres (182.63 yards) in length and 109 metres (119.20 yards) in width. The cupola of the main chamber reaches a height of 40 metres [3], and the entranceway is 35 metres tall.[4] There is a large marble Qur'an stand in the centre of the courtyard.[5]

Contents

[edit] History

The cupola of the main chamber rises up to 40 m.
The cupola of the main chamber rises up to 40 m.

The mosque was built immediately after Timur's return in 1399 from his campaign in India using loot of precious stones captured during his conquest of India. According to Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, 90 captured elephants were employed merely to carry precious stones looted from this conquest, so as to erect a mosque at Samarkand — Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Construction was completed between 1399 and 1404. However, the mosque slowly fell into disuse, and crumbled to ruins over the centuries. Some historians believe it to poetic justice for a mosque built on stolen loot and the massacre of many innocents. It was also likely due to the fact it pushed the construction techniques of the time to the very limit[6], and the fact it was built too quickly.[7] It eventually partially collapsed in 1897 when an earthquake occurred.[8]

However, in 1974 it began to undergo reconstruction[9] (see picture) by the Government of Uzbekistan, although the current mosque is effectively a brand-new building, as no original work remains. The bazaar at the foot of the Bibi-Khanym (see picture) has changed little since 600 years ago.

[edit] See also

A photograph taken sometime between 1905 and 1915 by color photography pioneer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii shows the mosque's appearance after its collapse in the earthquake of 1897.
A photograph taken sometime between 1905 and 1915 by color photography pioneer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii shows the mosque's appearance after its collapse in the earthquake of 1897.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bibi Khanym Mosque Reviews. IGoUGo.com (October 11, 2000). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  2. ^ Bibi-Khanym mosque. Skiouros.net. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  3. ^ Muzey.uz, Соборная мечеть Биби-Ханым (Bibi-Khanym Mosque) (Russian)
  4. ^ Carillet, Joel (June 6, 2006). In Pictures: Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Gather.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  5. ^ Burnett, Doug (September 7, 2000). Uzbekistan 2000 - Samarkand. BootsnAll.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  6. ^ Samarkand City. Stantours.com (April 24, 2002). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  7. ^ [. http://www.steppestravel.co.uk/download/Highlights%20of%20CA%20-%2017%20days%20-%20Uzbek,%20Kyrghyz,%20Kazakh%2020.pdf Highlights of CA]. Steppes Travel (March 22, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  8. ^ Bibi Khanym Mosque. TripAdvisor.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  9. ^ Bibi Khanym Mosque. iExplore.com (July 14, 2001). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 39°39′38″N, 66°58′45″E

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