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Po-i-Kalyan

In the heart of Bukhara, a minaret, a mosque and a madrasah face each other across one courtyard, forming the city's most recognisable scene. With its nine-century-old minaret and blue-domed mosque, it is one of the easiest places to take in Central Asian architecture in a single square.

History

The name Po-i-Kalyan (also Poi Kalon) is Persian and roughly means "At the Foot of the Great One", the great one being the Kalan Minaret. The site is said to have held a Zoroastrian place of worship before Islam, and after 713 a succession of congregational mosques was built, destroyed and restored south of the Ark.

The Karakhanid ruler Arslan Khan had a mosque completed in 1121 and its minaret in 1127. When Genghis Khan took Bukhara in 1220 the mosque was destroyed, and only the minaret survived.

The present mosque dates to about 1514-1515, under the Shaibanid ruler Ubaydullah Khan. The Mir-i-Arab Madrasah followed in 1535-1536, built for his spiritual adviser, Sheikh Abdullah of Yemen. Together the buildings reflect Ubaydullah's effort to make Bukhara his capital.

What to see

The Kalan Minaret is about 46 metres tall and built entirely of baked brick. Bands of brickwork wrap the shaft, each patterned differently, and beneath the lantern at the top run stalactite-like corbels and a turquoise band of tiled inscription. For centuries it has been the symbol of the city.

The Kalan Mosque is one of the largest in Central Asia, second only to the Bibi Khanum Mosque in Samarkand in the sources used here. Galleries around its courtyard carry 288 domes, and a blue dome rises above the mihrab. Its tilework and brickwork reflect late Timurid tradition.

Facing it, the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah is still a working religious school, so its interior is generally not open to visitors; you can admire the facade and its twin domes from the square. The tombs of Ubaydullah Khan and Sheikh Abdullah are in the madrasah. The mosque and madrasah facing each other create the "kosh" layout typical of 16th-century Central Asian architecture.

Visiting tips

The complex stands in Bukhara's old town and is easily reached on foot from many other sights. The light is gentlest early in the morning and toward sunset, and the minaret is also worth seeing when lit in the evening.

Access rules, fees and opening hours can change, so check before you go. Because these are working religious sites, dress modestly and be considerate when taking photographs.