MIRZO USMON MASJIDI

The Mirzo Usman Mosque is an architectural monument in Bukhara. It is located near the eastern gate of the Ark Fortress. The mosque was built in the eighteenth century during the reign of the Ashtarkhanid ruler Ubaydullah Khan II by Mirzo Okhund Mulla Usman, a teacher (mudarris) at the Kukeldash Madrasa. The mosque was situated in the Mirzo Okhund Mulla Usman neighborhood and is now included in the National Register of Immovable Objects of Material and Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan.

History

Also known as the Qazi Urda Mosque, it was built in the early eighteenth century by Mirzo Okhund Mulla Usman during the reign of Ubaydullah Khan II. The mosque served the residents of the Qazi Urda neighborhood, and women also attended prayers there. After the construction of the Bolo Hauz Mosque, women began performing their prayers there instead.

The Mirzo Okhund Mulla Usman neighborhood contained forty houses, two madrasas, and one mosque. During restoration work carried out in 1990, several burial structures (sagana) were discovered beneath the ground. A grave with a sagana was found beneath the staircase at the mosque entrance, and ceramic vessels were uncovered inside the burial site.

During the Soviet period, the building was used as a press society office, a club, and a hotel for market visitors.

The mosque is also known by the names Okhundi Mulla Usman Mosque, Qazi Urda Mosque, and Mirzo Usman Mosque. The interior consists of twenty-one large and small arches, and a geometric girih ornament is decorated above the ancient mihrab. The mosque includes an iwan that has survived in good condition to the present day. During restoration work, the wooden columns and surrounding walls were reconstructed. Additional restoration projects were carried out in the 2000s.