The Barak Khan Madrasah was built in the 16th century under Navruz Ahmadhan, who ruled Tashkent. His subjects thought that their ruler was very lucky, and therefore called him Barak-Khan, which translates as “Lucky ruler.” The construction was divided into stages, which is why it lasted for a rather long time. Madrasahs were built near the mahalla Hastim, which was the center of philosophy and science. For more than five centuries, this madrasah has been a testament to the historical greatness of the current capital of Uzbekistan.

The construction of the Barak Khan Madrasah was provoked by the changes that arose in Maverannahr on the basis of various events. If earlier figures of culture and politics preferred to be as close as possible to their rulers, then after the 16th century other cities became cultural centers, and for a number of reasons, Tashkent was among them.

Barak Khan Madrassah is one of the landmarks of Tashkent and is the largest madrasah in Tashkent. The madrassah consists of various structures built at different times. The first part of the madrassah was built in the 15th century, the second part in the first half of the 16th century and the third part in the middle of the 16th century. The third part of the madrasah, which was the last part of the madrasah, was built by Barak Han, the son of Suyuniç Han, and is named after him.

The madrasah buildings gathered around a large courtyard were restored between 1955 and 1963.

Barak Khan Madrassah, which has one of the two biggest Quran in the world, has become the symbol of Tashkent with its blue domes. Quran that was written on the gazelle skin by Hz Osman changed hands many times before coming to the madrasah. This special Quran in the madrasah draws the attention of the visitors.

A part of Barak Han Madrasa, which is the administrative center of the Mufti of Uzbekistan today, works like religious affairs and educates religious scholars.

The architecture of Barak Khan Madrasah

The main entrance of the complex is decorated with unique ceramic mosaics and amazing paintings. This madrasah is not a single building, it also includes a couple of mausoleums, which were erected before the construction of the madrassah itself. An unnamed mausoleum is located in the eastern part of this complex, and the second, which has a pair of domes, was installed on the site of the grave of Suyunge Khan. According to the initial idea, the mausoleum without a name was built for Barak Khan, but he passed away in Samarkand, where, in fact, he was buried. The construction of the madrassah itself is made of bricks and is crowned with domes of heavenly color. Entrances are inlaid with metal and ivory. In earlier times, the upper part of the dome was decorated with blue ceramic tiles, and mosaic stars were on the drum, which gave the mausoleum its name, which means “blue dome”.

The Barak Khan Madrasah received significant damage during the earthquake because many buildings had to be heavily restored. In the middle of the last century, a project was carried out to preserve architectural monuments and artisan workshops were opened here. Anyone can buy everything that they produce manually because this place is especially popular with tourists who want to get an interesting souvenir

• Opening Hours: You can visit Barak Khan Madrassah between 09.00-18.00 and go up to the towers with blue domes.

Note: Let’s make a small reminder about Barak Khan Madrassah, it is not allowed to take pictures inside the madrasah.