Kukeldash Madrasah

Kukeldash Madrasah

Kukeldash Madrasah is the largest madrasah and one of the most famous historical monuments in Tashkent. Located near Chorsu Square and the historic Registan of Tashkent, it sits at the heart of the old city.

In the 9th and 10th centuries, this area was home to the Kesh gates, one of the city’s three main entrances. Like other major Central Asian cities, Tashkent had its own Registan, a central architectural ensemble known for its monumentality and refined design.

History and Construction

The madrasah was built in 1570 during the Shaybanid dynasty by a vizier close to the Tashkent sultans Barak-Khan and Darwish Khan. The vizier was known by the nickname “kukeltash,” meaning “foster-brother of the Khan,” from which the madrasah takes its name.

Constructed from baked brick in the traditional madrasah style, the building is organised around a large courtyard. It is surrounded by monastic cells (khujdras), alongside a classroom (darshana) and a mosque.

The façade is dominated by an imposing entrance portal nearly 20 metres high, with two-storey balconies and corner towers known as guldasta.

Architecture and Decoration

The entrance portal retains fragments of its original decoration, including majolica and glazed brickwork. The windows are fitted with sun-protective stone or brick grilles (pandjara), decorated with patterns incorporating the names of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad.

Although Kukeldash Madrasah has been repaired and restored many times, its present appearance differs from the original. Even so, it remains comparable in scale and architectural importance to the great medieval madrasahs of Bukhara and Samarkand.

Later Use and Present Day

Over the centuries, the madrasah has served many roles. In the 18th century it functioned as a caravanserai for merchants, during which time its towers were destroyed.

In the 19th century it was used as a fortress by Kokand rulers, and a number of legends grew up around the building, including stories of executions and a sacred pistachio tree said to have grown on one of its domes.

The structure survived two major earthquakes in the 19th century, which partially destroyed the entrance portal. This was restored in the 1960s, and further renovations during the years of independence returned the building to an appearance close to that of the 1880s.

Today, Kukeldash Madrasah is a striking two-storey building and the focal point of Tashkent’s Registan. It has resumed its spiritual role, with calls to prayer from muezzins, students studying in the khujdras, and religious services held within the complex.