Registan Ensemble

Registan Ensemble

During centuries Registan Square was the centre of Samarkand. The word Registan means “sandy place”. There was a river running there many ages ago, before building the first Madrassah on the square. Years passed, the river dried out and left a lot of sand there, which was the first place where the first Madrassah was built in the beginning of the 15th century and named Registan square. As the Madrassah was first built, all the holidays, parades, festivals and Sunday bazaars took place on it. The ensemble consists of three Madrassah: Ulugbek Madrassah (15th century), Sher – Dor Madrassah (17th century) and Tilla-Kari Madrassah (gold covered) (17th century). Madrassah– is the Muslim high educational institution. Only the boys from reach families studied there. The training lasted for 10, 12, 20 years. It was up to the discipline the student selected. The main discipline for all of them was Learning Koran. The rest of the subjects were not obligatory and could be selected by students.

The Ulugbek Madrassah was built by the Ulugbek’s order and guidance. It lasted only three years from 1417 to 1420. When the madrassah was constructed, Ulugbek gave lectures on mathematics and astronomy till his death.
Two years later, the ruler of Samarkand Yalangtush Bahadur ordered to build the copy of the Madrassah, and the second Sher-Dor Madrassah was built opposite it. The only difference was that it had two more winter teaching halls, but the main structure was the same as in Ulugbek Madrassah.

Several years later, the same ruler of Samarkand ordered the third Tilla-Kari Madrassah. Its outward is the same as those two other madrassah, but coming in you’ll see a one story building. To make the architectural ensemble, the architecture made two floors on the outside but only one inside. Madrassah was always built by one project – four-cornered yard with four terraces and cells along the whole perimeter. The main entrance was always locked with lattice and two other entrances were used by purpose. The doors in cell were always low because “Islam” means “obedience”, that is why everyone who entered or went out of cell always had to bow, it was like greeting and wishing health to everyone.

Only Tilla-Kari Madrassah was bult like madrassah, but was used mostly as mosque; just looking at minarets you can see this, Tilla-Kari has low minarets to call people to pray.

In 17th century Till-Kari mosque and Madrassah was the biggest mosque in Samarkand. Right up to 19th century Madrassah and Madrassah-mosque was used by purpose, and only from the beginning of 20th century till now they serve as monuments.

“Eden of Ancient East”, “Precious Pearl of Islam World”, “Rome of East”, “RuiZamin”-“Face of Earth”-with such magnificent names poets, historians, medieval geographers of Iran, India, China, Byzantium and Egypt called Samarkand. Even though such magnificent description of Samarkand saw many sites of fire and destructions, which left their sign in history.It was called Mukatta. And also in the western side of madrasah, honako and caravanserai in Registan Enseble, he had “Khammomi Mirzoi” built that was perfect not only in Samarkand but also in the East and differed from another khommoms (bath) completely. There are following information in “Baburnama” about this building: “ MirzoUlugbek built a temperate khammam (bath) in this madrassah and honako . It was well-known Mirzoi khammom. There is not such khammom not only in Khurason but also in Samarkand”. Registan Ensamble was main social centre of Samarkand during Mirzo Ulugbek’s period. The meetings were organized, the decrees were declared, “Iyd al-Fitr and Iyd al-Adha” holidays were held here.

Registan square is still reconized as a unique example of art. In order to rebuild the buildings of Registan Ensamble Emir Yalantush-biy Bohadur built Sherdor Madrasah and Tilla-Kori Madrasah in XVII century. The fame of Registan square is heightened and Registan square became more and more attractive.