The High Mosque

Bukhara is the capital of the Sheibanids state, a phenomenon and an example of the medieval art of architects. It was the Bukhara architectural school that had a great influence on the formation of architecture throughout Central Asia.

One of such historical architectural and cultural objects is one of the oldest district mosques in Bukhara, which dates back more than 500 years - the High Mosque.

The High Mosque is a monument of architecture of the end of the era of Alisher Navoi and the beginning of the era of the Uzbek Khanate. It is called “high” because of the characteristic high stone base of the building. 

The mosque was built at the beginning of the XVI century in one of the rich guzars (district) of Bukhara. The mosque is built in the traditional style for guzar mosques and consists of two parts – summer and winter. 

The winter part is a cuboid building with a suspended ceiling, which was a characteristic feature of the quarter mosques, and it is surrounded by an aivan in the shape of the Г, which is the summer part of the mosque. 

The interior of the mosque is striking in its splendor. The rich interior of the mosque, built of burnt brick, is dominated by the decor of tiled mosaics, painting on ganch, glaze and wood. One of the walls of the mosque is decorated with a mihrab niche (a niche indicating the direction of the Kaaba for prayers), there is also a minbar (a pulpit from which the imam of the mosque narrates). The mihrab and the walls of the mosque are decorated with blue-green kashin mosaic and painted with gilt paintings. The painting is dominated by a ligature with Arabic script, executed in the calligraphic handwriting “sols". The ornament of the walls is represented by flowers and green parts of plants, in the style of “Kundal” with abundant gilding and inserts of hexagonal glazed tiles painted in gold. Because of its bright, rich floral ornament, the walls of the mosque resemble a painted carpet. 

The ceiling of the mosque is made of wooden planks decorated with ornaments and small wooden domes. 

Outside, the mosque's aivans stand on wooden columns, which are decorated with muqarnas (stalactites) on top, and marble on the bottom. The base of the columns is installed on a concrete foundation. Unlike the mosque itself, the ceiling and columns of the aivans are relatively new, as they were replaced with new ones during the major restoration of the mosque in the XIX century.

The interior of the mosque is considered an example of architectural art and in the construction and decoration of later architectural and cultural monuments of Bukhara and other cities of Central Asia, the architects used the decor of the Grand Mosque as a model. 

Today, the mosque is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts tourists from all over the globe.