Dedicated to the memory of our mentor Saburdzhana Yusupov, who with his interesting stories and tales taught us to love the motherland, native nature, our favorite city Khiva

Madrasah and minaret of Islam-Khoja

The the vizier and father-in-law of the khan Khivan Isfandiyarkhan II Sayyid Islam Khoja in 1908 - 1910 constructed near the mausoleum-ensemble Pakhlavan Makhmoud a madrasah and a minaret. Islam of Hodge was one of the well-known people of his time. He put a lot of effort and work to improvement of the city. Through his efforts buildings of hospital, post, telegraph, Kosh-Darvaza Gate, the House of official receptions at Nurullabay Palace, new bridges of iron constructions were built in Khiva and at some places at Khorezm. Ustad Hudaybergen ibn Ustad of Baba Khorezmi was the chief architect of the minaret, construction of madrasah undertook the master Hudaybergen Khoji, majolica patterns of the madrasah and minaret were executed by the masters ceramists from the settlement of Madyr of the Hanqa area Balta Vaisov and Madaminov based on the sketches of the patterns of Eshmukhammed Hudayberdiyev. In his dedication to the construction of the minaret the poet Niyozi wrote a poetic chronogram in verses consisting of 48 lines, just the same chronogram in verses from 47 lines was written to construction of the madrasah. These both Chronograms were carved on marble slabs by the master of the marble works Usto Khudaybergen Divan and installed above the entrance door of the madrasah and also outside the minaret at the height of 10 meters from the ground. As a Waqf for the madrasah Islam Khoja allocated from the lands owned by him 14 thousand 451 tanap of land.

The madrasah consists of 42 hujras, where studied and lived 50 students at a time, the front part of the madrasah is built about 2 floors. To the right from the lobby entrance there is a spacious room of the domed winter mosque. The external structure and decoration of the principal facade of the madrasah connected to a minaret on an architectural design doesn't differ from other madrasahs of Khiva. Side wings of the portal are decorated by a row of two-storied arches and angular towers of guldasta style. The upper parts of the arches are decorated with individual patterns in the form of Kant and glazed tiles. A small courtyard of madrasah is surrounded with one-storey cells for students. The walls of the courtyard have no ornamentation. On the back side of the portal, behind it in over the hujras on the ground floor a single-columned avian (terrace) is built. As mentioned earlier the largest room in the madrasah is the domed mosque which occupies the entire south-west wing of the madrasahs. On the southern internal part of the wall of the mosque under the arched space and mihrab\chancel of the mosque are decorated with majolica tiles with patterns and carved usage of ganch ornamentation create the perfect picture.
The minaret Islam Khoja located next to the madrasah was built along with it. The height of the minaret is 56 meters, diameter at the bottom is 9.5 meters. During the construction of the minaret the architectural techniques and methods of the architects of the past centuries were used. The upper part of the minaret becomes more subtle to the top ending by an elegant cornice and a domed lantern with the pommel in the form of a crescent. The top of the lamp is crrowned with edging assembled from the ceramic bricks of different shapes. The space between them is filled with majolica tiles of different colors. Lantern and cornice decorated with green-blue, light blue (blue) and white tones glazed majolica bricks. Due to this the upper part of the minaret stands out against the bright sky. Glazed colorful bricks are designed as patterned ribbon encircling the tapered body of the minaret around the circumference in several places. In view of these features of the minaret the local old residents claim - "On the minaret of the Khoja there are presented ornaments of the four seasons of the year and twelve months." In simple and specific forms of the minaret it is possible to note new techniques of construction of buildings the intervening into the architecture of Khiva. The new forms of construction characteristic of the architecture of Khiva of that time are reflected in newly constructed buildings of a new type, such as - mail, telegraph, school of new model and hospital. The masters along with use of techniques of ancient buildings and decorations applied Russian way of brickwork i. е. the new forms of building arches and ceilings in the construction of these structures.
Installed on the top of the minaret 2.5 meter high domed finial is made of metal called Patal (an alloy of bronze, brass and copper).The finial made of this metal for a certain time shone like gold.
Finial of the minaret was restored anew on the eve of 2500 years anniversary of the city of Khiva with drawing a thin film of gold coating on its surface. Currently in the premises of the madrasah housed there the museum exposition of Applied Arts of Khorezm.