Sufi Sheikh Kalandar Bobo Madrasah
The Kungrat dynasty, which ruled the Khanate of Khiva for a long time, was famous for its wise rulers, each of whom left an indelible mark on the history of Central Asia. However, as the most enlightened representative of this dynasty, Seyid Muhammad Rahim Khan II is world famous. Belonging to a family originating from the Prophet Muhammad, through his daughter Fatima and her son Hussein, Khan was the eleventh ruler of the Kungrat dynasty. Seyid Muhammad, who received a brilliant education at the Arab Muhammad Khan madrasah, a student of the poet, historian and translator Agakhi, the last independent ruler of the Khanate of Khiva, poet and composer, wanted to achieve enlightenment in his country by raising the culture of citizens. During the reign of Muhammad Rahim Khan, musical notation was created for the first time in Khorezm. Khan himself was famous for his poetic works, which he wrote under the pseudonym Firuz. Seyid Muhammad Khan was a powerful patron of science and art, it was under him that more than 15 madrassas were built and began to function, where students studied not only religious, but also secular sciences.
The sister of Said Muhammad Rahim Khan II, Biki Jan Bika, is also well–known. She, like her brother, was very enlightened and on her initiative a madrasa was built in memory of the holy Sufi Sheikh Kalandar Bobo.
According to legends, Sheikh Kalandar and his two brothers in the faith, the dervishes, moved to Khiva at the end of the XV century. They spent their entire lives in Khorezm, educating population of the city in the field of one of the most mystical currents of Islam – Sufism, and preaching love of God and asceticism.
In the XVI century, after the death of a Sufi sheikh, a mosque was built on the site of his burial by grateful residents of Khiva. Initially, the mosque had the appearance of a three-chamber mausoleum with two tombs, however, most of it has not been preserved for many centuries.
Three centuries later, at the end of the XIX century, by order of Biki Jan Bika, the mosque was restored, and a madrasah and a minaret were erected next to it, which together formed an architectural complex in honor of the great Sufi sheikh.
The madrasah (Muslim educational institution) has the appearance of a one-story building with an entrance decorated with a single-domed portal, with an extensive courtyard, along the perimeter of which there are hujras (rooms for madrasah students). Also in the madrasah there are rooms for classes (darskhana) and halls of the mosque. There is a tomb nearby, represented by one hall.
The minaret located at the main portal of the madrasah is made of burnt brick, 18m high, and its diameter at the base is 6m.
Despite the fact that all the buildings of the Sha Kalandar Bobo complex are made in the best traditions of Sufism, it is quite simple, without lush decor, the ensemble itself looks quite laconic and annually attracts a large number of pilgrims from all over the world.