Historical and Cultural Places

Chor Minor Madrasah

Buxoro viloyati | Chor minor ko‘chasi

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Chor Minor (Persian: - four minarets) is an architectural monument in Bukhara (1807). It was built by Khalfa Niyazkul. Chor Minor consists of a traditional mosque, a one-story madrasah, and a courtyard surrounded by one-story cells. The frame-type mosque is located in the southwestern corner of the courtyard. The entrance to the madrasah is through a two-story gatehouse with a dome roof.

Chor Minor (“Four Minarets”) is one of Bukhara’s most distinctive architectural landmarks. It was built in the early 19th century by a wealthy Turkmen merchant, Khalifa Niyazkul. Historians believe that the structure was originally part of a larger madrasa complex that no longer survives. The reason for its construction and the person to whom it was dedicated remain unknown.

Architecture

The building served both as a madrasa and a place of worship. Its most remarkable feature is the square entrance structure crowned by four minarets, one at each corner, which gave the monument its name. Each minaret is topped with a blue-domed roof decorated with glazed ceramic tiles.

The entrance gateway is a two-story structure. The ground floor contains a domed hall, while the upper floor once served as a library. Access to the upper level is provided through a staircase located inside one of the minarets. Some of the student cells that once stood on both sides of the central building have collapsed, and only their foundations remain.

Near the monument is a small pond believed to date from the same period as the building. Today, Chor Minor is surrounded by traditional houses and small handicraft shops. In 1995, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historic Centre of Bukhara. Restoration work was carried out in accordance with Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage preservation laws.