MAVLONO ASSIRI MADRASASI

The Assiri Madrasa (Mavlono Assiri Madrasa) is a one-story madrasa located in the historic center of Bukhara, Bukhara Region, Uzbekistan. It is included in the National Register of Immovable Objects of Material and Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan.

Although funds were allocated under the 2010 State Program for its restoration and preservation, the madrasa remains in a poor condition. Much of the structure has fallen into ruin, and only about half of the original building survives. Residential houses have been built on the site of the demolished section.

History

The madrasa was built in the sixteenth century in a quarter of the capital of the Bukhara Khanate that later became known as the Mavlono Assiri neighborhood. It was constructed during the reign of the Uzbek ruler Abdullah Khan II (1557–1598) with financial support from the poet Mirzo Jalol Asiri ibn Mirzo Mo‘min Isfahani.

The madrasa’s waqf (endowment) documents have survived. According to these records, during the reign of Subhanquli Khan Muhammad Bahadur Khan, a pilgrim named Muhammad Ali, son of Mehtar Alibiy, restored the ruined mosque and madrasa of the late Mulla Asiri.

After the establishment of Soviet rule, educational activities at the madrasa were discontinued.

According to the State Program adopted in 2010, plans were made in 2011 to conduct research, dismantle unsafe sections, reinforce the structure, and carry out restoration and conservation work. Although 100 million Uzbek soums were allocated for these purposes, the surviving portion of the madrasa remains in a deteriorated condition. The destroyed section has been replaced by privately built residential houses.

In 2019, the madrasa was included in the National Register of Immovable Objects of Material and Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan as an architectural monument of Bukhara. It is planned to be adapted for tourism purposes in the future.

Architecture

The madrasa was built of baked brick and consists of a single story. Its floor plan has a polygonal shape.

Legends

According to a local legend, the foundation of the madrasa was associated with the poet al-Sari, who lived during the Samanid period.

However, modern research has shown that al-Sari never visited Bukhara and was not connected to the name Assiri. Scholars have established that the poet Assiri (Mirzo Jalol Asiri) was originally from Iran, came to Bukhara from Isfahan, lived and worked there for many years during the reign of Abdullah Khan II (1557–1598), and was the actual founder and patron of the madrasa.