Narbuta-bey Madrassah

In Kokand in the 19th century, according to eyewitness accounts, there were 40 madrassahs – Islamic high schools. Unfortunately, just few of them survived to the present day. Among them is the city’s largest Narbuta-bey madrassah. Chorsu Square in mid-18th century and the construction was completed in 1799. By this time the Kokand khan defeated the ruler of Bukhara and took many captives, including craftsmen from Bukhara with architect Mukhammad Salikh Usto Kasim being one of them. Thus alongside with Kokand masters, the craftsmen from Bukhara were forced to take part in the construction of the madrassah. This one-storey construction was flanked with facades whose blank walls stretched for more than 70 metres. The main entrance, facing north, was emphasized by a high peshtak (portal) which made the building look monumental and somewhat imposing. On all four corners of the building there were round guldasta– towers crowned with lanterns. The layout of Narbuta-bey madrassah reminds that of similar constructions of Bukhara. To the left of the main entrance there stands a domed mosque. The interior of the mosque is lit by the light coming through twelve arched windows cut in rather high cylindrical drum. To the right there was darskhona – hall for lectures. The rectangular courtyard was surrounded with twenty-four cells – hujra for students of the madrassah to live inand some store and utility rooms. Opposite the main entrance there was a deep aivan (terrace) for studies in summertime. The most remarkable thing about Narbuta-bey madrassah is that it has practically no décor, which gives the construction an unforgettable impression of austerity of its architecture. Its brickwork is exposed, the interior glows with the whiteness of its ganch stucco decoration. Only the front door bears the carved ornamental decoration which combines geometrical patterns and floral motifs. Unpretentious stalactite cornice and star-like patterns of mikhrab niche decoration make the interior of the mosque a bit more ornate than that of darskhona hall. Today Narbuta-bey madrassah again functions as a religious institution where 80 students from all over the Fergana Valley study Koran, hadiths and the Arabic language.