Sherdor madrasah

Samarkand is one of the most ancient cities rich in historical monuments. The hallmark of the city, its world-famous square is Registan, which includes three madrassas: Ulugbek, Tillya Kari and Sherdor. 

Sherdor madrasah in Persian means “madrasah with lions”, a structure dating from the XVII century, was built on the initiative and at the expense of one of the rulers of Samarkand from the Ashtarkhanid dynasty – Yalangtush Bahadur. The architect and project manager was the famous Samarkand architect Abdulzhabbor, and his designer and decorator Muhammad Abbas. The construction of the madrasah lasted a little more than 15 years.

It was decided to build a madrasah on the eastern part of Registan, before which it was decided to dismantle the khanaka (Sufi monastery) built by Ulugbek, 2 centuries before. The material that was obtained after the dimantle of the khanaka was used in the construction of the madrasah. This fact was confirmed during the excavations carried out by the archaeologist S.N. Yuryev in 1956. 

Before the start of construction, the architect decided to use the kosh technique, which was used in medieval Central Asian architecture. According to this technique, during the construction of madrasas, the main portals of opposite buildings are built on the same axis and should be exactly opposite each other, as well as the facades of buildings, forming exact parallel lines. Thus, the madrasah under construction was supposed to be a mirror madrasah of Ulugbek. 

Yalangtush dedicated the madrasah to his spiritual mentor Khoja Hashim Dagbedi.

When designing the madrasah, the artist depicted a scene of hunting a mythical gazelle with the body of a tiger, the mane of a lion, in the rays of the rising sun, later this drawing became the national symbol of the Republic of Uzbekistan and was depicted on a 200-sum bill. It is because of this drawing that the name Sherdor was fixed in the people for this madrasah. 

However, the history of the symbol of the lion and the rising sun itself goes back to the XII century, in the era of the Seljukid state, when this image was found on the coins of this Turkic dynasty. The symbol is based on astronomy and astrology denoting the sign of the Sun in the constellation Leo. Later, this symbol was borrowed by the Temurids, and became one of the symbols of the states of the Ancient East. 

For 300 years, the madrasah was one of the most famous educational institutions, where 40 people could study at the same time. One of the famous graduates of this madrasah is Shigabuddin Marjani, a Muslim theologian, educator, orientalist of Tatar origin. 

However, at the beginning of the XX century, with the advent of Soviet power, the madrasah ceased its teaching activities. Since 1924, a large-scale reconstruction of the madrasah has begun, which has been significantly damaged by numerous earthquakes for three centuries. Hujras and their portals (a room for students) were repaired, the brick arch of the main portal and arches were restored, the mosaic of the main portal and the facade cladding were updated. Then, in 1960, the minarets were repaired. In 1962, under the guidance and direct participation of the artist V.N. Gorokhov and the architect A.N. Freytag restored the mosaic of the building. 

Today, the Sherdor madrasah is a building in the traditional Central Asian medieval style, rectangular in shape, the main portal of which is represented by a peshtak. Peshtak is a rectangular portal typical for many monuments of Central Asia, which far exceeds the height of the building itself, has a pointed arch and it is here that the main decor of the entire building is presented. At the corners of the main facade there are minarets, which are crowned with stalactite cornices. Inside the building, there are aivans on four sides, and in the center there is a courtyard lined with paving stones from chupanatin slate. On the sides of the courtyard there are 48 one-room hujras in two floors.  In the corners of the courtyard there are rooms for classes – darskhana. From the side of the main facade, the darskhans are distinguished by ribbed spheroconic domes located on high drums. Each sky-blue dome is decorated with turquoise tiles. The first darskhana at the entrance to the madrasah was transformed into a gurkhana – a place for burial. The darskhana located to the left of the entrance performs the function of a mosque.

There are several graves on the territory of the madrasah, which have not been identified for certain to date. 

The decorative decoration of the madrasah is made mainly of glazed bricks, kashin mosaic and majolica. The patterns of the exterior facade are made in the girih style. The rarest work of art is the majolica mosaic of the tympanum, the arch of the main portal. The tympanums of each of the hujras are also decorated with patterns. Flower patterns in the form of the tree of life are represented on the mosaic panel of the western aivan. The walls of darsakhanas are also painted in a floral pattern in the Kundal style (multicolored painting with gilding), and its dome is painted with Arabesque medallions. 

On the territory of the Sherdor madrasah there is one of two burials on Registan Square, this is the grave of Imam Muhammad bin Jafar Sadik. The second burial – the mausoleum of the Sheibanids is located east of the Tillya Kari Madrasah. 

Today, the Sherdor Madrasah, which has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, along with other madrasahs of the Registan ensemble, is one of the most popular tourist destinations throughout Uzbekistan.