Bukhara architecture
In pre-lslamic Bukhara, religious
buildings were closely connected with the Avestan
religion, which was a local version of Zoroastrian-ism.
Along with Zoroastrians, Christians and Buddhists
also lived in Bukhara (one suggestion is that the
very name of the city is related to the word vikara,
meaning «Buddhist shrine»). However, the
religion of the magi (Zoroastrianism) was the most
prevalent. Historians mention that numerous atoshdana
(fire-worship shrines) were located throughout the
Bukhara oasis, especially in Bukhara and Paikend.
One of these shrines was situated in Bukhara's Shakhristan,
in the Moh market, named after the moon deity. On
popular festival days, clay and wooden idols were
sold here. The fact that the Bukhara ruler himself
sat on his throne near the temple attests to the importance
of this ritual. Later on, the Magoki-Attori Mosque
was erected on the site of the Moh Temple. Once Bukhara
had been defeated by the Arabs, the first mosque was
built in Kukhendiz.
Having overcome the consequences of the Arab conquest,
the Bukharan rulers, especially the Samanids, implemented
an extensive construction program. Palaces for the
Emir, as well as his courtiers, military commanders,
and feudal nobility, were built during this time.
Official buildings were also erected, with a concentration
in the West and the Northwest sections of Bukhara.
Dikhkans street, (the Street of Nobles) was located
in the West section of the city. Near the Ark, the
Registan Square was built, where the palace of the
Bukhar-Khudats stood even in pre-lslamic times. Under
the Samanid ruler Nasr ibn Ahmad (914-943), the Emir's
palace and ten divans (central authority bodies) were
built here. Thus, the Reghistan became the governmental
centre of the capital of one of the most powerful
states in the medieval Orient.
A considerable number of the former suburban castles
(keshks), situated northwest of Bukhara were included
in the city limits under the Samanids as an aristocratic
section of the city, becoming known as Keshki-Mukhan.
According to Narshakhi, the cost of the land was extremely
high. However, the Bukhara land owners, together with
the Emir, built palaces not only within the city proper,
but also in the suburbs. The most famous palaces were
the Djui-Muliyan and the Kalai Allavian. The Muslim
clergy became extremely influential during this period.
Under the Samanids, many mosques were built in Bukhara,
and madras-as were erected for the first time in this
region. They have not survived, but it is known that
the Farjek Madrasa burnt down, evidenced by the fact
that wooden structural units have been found, as well
as clay walls, columns, and a beam roof.
Regarding secular structures, mention can be made
of trading buildings and caravanserais that played
a significant role in international trade along the
Great Silk Road, on which Bukhara was an important
node.
Extensive construction activity was accompanied by
progress in construction techniques. Massive buildings
were still made of adobe (pakhsa), using clay and
frame systems and flat wooden roofs. Objects of monumental
construction involved some innovations; for instance,
kiln-dried bricks were utilized in the brickwork of
walls and the system of domes. The use of kiln-dried
bricks made possible both greater durability and an
ever-increasing scale of buildings, thus giving to
many buildings an impressive artistic effect. Bricks
were used as decorative materials, in addition to
their construction function. Pattern-forming brickwork
attached a rich ornamentalism of mostly a geometric
type to facades and interiors. The process of kiln
drying large-size slabs led to the emergence of ornamental
terracotta, for which masters used geometric and vegetal
patterns, along with inscriptions using the Arabic
Kufi and Maskhi scripts. Gypsum and wood carving,
as well as ornamental mural painting in interiors
were common methods from pre-Islamic times, when such
decoration was practiced. One further achievement
in the field of architectural decoration of the eleventh
and twelfth centuries was the application of glazed
bricks and slabs and glazed ornamental terracotta.
Geometric patterns (girikh) dominated decorative practice
from the tenth to twelfth centuries. This Arabic term
refers to both the basic element of geometric patterns
and the patterns themselves. A developed level of
girikh coincided with the rise of mathematics and
exact sciences in the Muslim Orient at that time.
In particular, the study of geometry was applied widely
in architecture. It was not only useful in developing
pattern systems, but also the overall proportions
of structures so that the buildings developed a sense
of balanced oneness. To train skilled professional
architects, it was necessary to master these methods.
In Bukhara, architectural monuments built from the
tenth through the twentieth centuries have survived
to this day.
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