Tilakari Madrasa

Tilakari Madrasa
Tillakori madrasasi
Interactive map of the Tilakari Madrasa area
General information
TypeMadrasa
LocationSamarkand, Uzbekistan
Coordinates39°39′21″N 66°58′30″E / 39.65583°N 66.97500°E / 39.65583; 66.97500
Inaugurated1646-1660
Part of the World Heritage site "Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures"

The Tilakari Madrasa[1][a] (from Classical Persian: مدرسۀ طلاکاری, romanized: Madrasa-yi Ṭilākārī, lit. 'the Madrasa of Gilding, the Gilded Madrasa'; Uzbek: Tillakori madrasasi) is a 17th-century madrasa (Islamic school) located on the Registan in the historic center of Samarkand, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Uzbekistan.[6]

Background

The Tilakari Madrasa is the youngest monument in the monumental ensemble of Registan, which is formed by the Ulugh Beg Madrasa, the Sherdar Madrasa and the Tilakari Madrasa.[7] It was built between 1646 and 1660, ten years after the Sherdar Madrasa. The madrasa was not only used for the education of students but was also one of the most important mosques for a long time.

The Tilakari Madrasa is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Timurid architecture, a tradition deeply rooted in the Persianate architectural and artistic legacy that dominated Central Asia during the 14th–17th centuries. Rather than belonging to a generalized category of “Turkic architecture,” the madrasa reflects the refined aesthetics developed in Iran, Khurasan, and Transoxiana, where Persian cultural and artistic norms shaped the visual identity of the Timurid Empire.[8][9]

Scholars such as Lisa Golombek, Donald Wilber, Sheila Blair, Jonathan Bloom, and Bernard O’Kane identify Timurid architecture as the culmination of the Persian architectural tradition, characterized by monumental pishtaq façades, intricate mosaic and glazed tilework, muqarnas vaulting, and richly ornamented interiors.[10][11][12]

UNESCO likewise describes the Registan complex—including the Tilakari Madrasa—as part of the broader Persian-influenced cultural landscape of Samarkand, shaped by craftsmen brought from cities like Shiraz, Tabriz and Isfahan.[13]

The lavish interior of the Tilakari Madrasa, covered with gilded surfaces and a dense program of floral and geometric patterns, exemplifies the Timurid mastery of decorative arts. Its tilework, calligraphy, and structural composition closely parallel those of major Iranian and Khurasani monuments, reflecting shared workshops, technologies, and artistic conventions across the region.[14][15] The madrasa’s harmonious proportions, turquoise-and-gold palette, and synthesis of spatial and ornamental design make it one of the finest surviving examples of the Persianate Timurid architectural style, rather than a representative of a pan-Turkic artistic category.[16][17]

  • Exterior
  • View from the Registan
  • Side view of the madrasa
  • Two storied iwans
  • Banna'i decoration on the side of the madrasa
  • Main entrance iwan
  • Decoration of the entrance
  • Vaulting inside the iwan
  • Mini iwans
  • Banna'i decoration
  • Decoration of the main entrance
  • Decoration of the spandrel
  • Glazed spiral fluted column
  • Iwan of the dome
  • Cleaning the dome
  • Another view of the dome
  • Iwan behind main entrance
  • Wooden doors
  • Classroom entrances
  • Inner courtyard iwan
  • Decoration and calligraphy of a courtyard iwan
  • Banna'i decorative brickwork
  • Decoration on the main Iwan
  • Brick calligraphy
  • Interior
  • Interior
  • Ceiling
  • Front view
  • Mihrab
  • Muqarnas
  • Muqarnas of the mihrab
  • Muqarnas
  • Decoration of mihrab
  • Detailed calligraphy of the mihrab
  • Floral arabesques
  • Calligraphy
  • Interior decoration of the dome
  • Detailed decoration of the dome
  • Upper window
  • Squinch transition
  • Muqarnas in the squinch
  • Decoration of a vault
  • Window
  • Minbar
  • Historical photographs
  • Main entrance (1868–1872)
  • Mihrab (1868–1872)
  • Domed chamber iwan (1868–1872)
  • Damaged minaret
  • Pulpit (1868–1872)
  • 1910
  • 1905–1915

Notes

  1. ^ Also called the Tilakari college;[2][3] also written Tila-Kari, Tila Kari;[4] alternatively Tila(-)Kori,[5] Tilla(-)Kori via Uzbek; Tilya(-)Kori, Tillya(-)Kori via Russian.

References

  1. ^ Cezar 1983, p. 85; Lawton 1991, p. 52; Dani 1993, p. 68; Blair & Bloom 1996, p. 207; O'Kane 2021, p. 228.
  2. ^ Mir Izzet Ullah 1825, p. 129.
  3. ^ The Muslim World. Vol. 2–3. 1964. p. 10.
  4. ^ Blunt 1976, p. 81; Hillenbrand 2001, p. 540; Hattstein & Delius 2004, p. 450.
  5. ^ "Ulugh Beg Madrasa of Samarkand, Uzbekistan". Asian Historical Architecture. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  6. ^ Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures. UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List. in English; in French; in Spanish. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Madrasah-i Ulugh Beg (Samarkand)". ArchNet: Islamic Architecture Community. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  8. ^ Blair, Sheila; Bloom, Jonathan. The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250–1800. Yale University Press.
  9. ^ O’Kane, Bernard. Timurid Architecture. Various academic publications.
  10. ^ Golombek, Lisa; Wilber, Donald. The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan. Princeton University Press.
  11. ^ Blair, Sheila. “Timurid Art and Architecture.” Encyclopaedia Iranica.
  12. ^ Petersen, Andrew. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. Routledge.
  13. ^ UNESCO. “Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.” Official World Heritage documentation.
  14. ^ Roxburgh, David. Timurid Visual Arts. Harvard University.
  15. ^ Ettinghausen, Richard; Grabar, Oleg; Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn. Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250.
  16. ^ Allen, Terry. Timurid Architectural Ornament.
  17. ^ Michell, George (ed.). Architecture of the Islamic World. Thames & Hudson.

Sources

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