Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417-1420)

Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420)

The Ulugh Beg Madrasah, built by Ulugh Beg during the Timurid Empire era of Timur—Tamerlane, has an imposing iwan with a lancet-arch pishtaq or portal facing the square. The corners are flanked by high minarets. The mosaic panel over the iwan's entrance arch is decorated by geometrical stylized ornaments. The square courtyard includes a mosque and lecture rooms, and is fringed by the dormitory cells in which students lived. There are deep galleries along the axes. Originally the Ulugh Beg Madrasah was a two-storied building with four domed darskhonas (lecture rooms) at the corners.

The Ulugh Beg Madrasah (Persian: مدرسه الغ بیگ‎) was one of the best clergy universities of the Muslim Orient in the 15th Century CE. Abdul-Rahman Jami, the great Persian poet, scholar, mystic, scientist and philosopher studied at the madrasah.[1] Ulugh Beg himself gave lectures there. During Ulugh Beg's government the madrasah was a centre of learning

Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636)

In the 17th century the ruler of Samarkand, Yalangtush Bakhodur, ordered the construction of the Sher-Dor (Persian: شیردار‎) and Tillya-Kori (Persian: طلاکاری‎) madrasahs. The tiger mosaics with a rising sun on their back, on the face of each madrassa arch are interesting, in that they flout the ban in Islam of the depiction of living beings on religious buildings, especially as they represent the more ancient Persian Mithraic religious motifs. There is a bit of Zoroastrianism influence in the architecture.

Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646–1660)

Ten years later the Tilya-Kori (Persian: طلاکاری‎, meaning "Gilded") Madrasah was built. It was not only a residential college for students, but also played the role of grand masjid (mosque). It has a two-storied main facade and a vast courtyard fringed by dormitory cells, with four galleries along the axes. The mosque building (see picture) is situated in the western section of the courtyard. The main hall of the mosque is abundantly gilded.