P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Mansurov, Ghafur

Tajik painter Ghafur Mansurov was born in 1888 into a family of

painters in the village of Chorbagh in Khujand. He received his early

education in painting from his father, Mullomansuri Naqqosh. By the

age of twelve he was already recognized as a talented painter. Many of

the mosques and houses in Konibodom, Qistakuz, Shurqurghon, Alti-

mariq, Margilan, Andijan, Osh, Tashkent, Uroteppa, and Nov are deco-

rated with his paintings. Before the Revolution, he cooperated with

Mirzorahmat Olimov, working on woodcarving and on designing col-

umns. Parts of the architecture of Dari Shikof mosque in Khujand illus-

trate their work. During the 1930s, along with his students, he worked

on the decoration of a number of teahouses. His designs, consisting of

---