Labi Hauz

In Bukhara, near the famous historical complex Lyab-i Hauz, the well-known architectural monument Kukeldash Madrasah is located (built in 1568 - 1569). It is the largest Bukhara madrasah and one of the largest ones in Central Asia. It was built during the reign of Abdullah-Khan II and was funded by Bukhara governor Kulbab who ruled the city under several khans and managed to maintain good relations with all of them. For his close relationship with the khans the governor was given the title Kukeldash, which was one of the highest standings in the khan’s court and meant ‘a milk brother’. Later the madrasah was named after him. Many people believe that Kukeldash Madrasah is part of Lyab-i Hauz complex, but it is wrong: archaeological excavations and research proved that the madrasah is a separate structure that bears no relation to Lyab-i Hauz. Kukeldash Madrasah was also a unique building of its time in terms of architecture. Virtually all the madrasahs then had the similar design of a solid rectangle with a large decorated portal and a courtyard. Kukeldash Madrasah has no solid walls. Instead, they are walls with niches and balconies with stucco ornaments. There are 160 hujra cells in the madrasah, filling the both floors along the perimeter of the spacious courtyard. Kukeldash Madrasah was built by the best master craftsmen of its time. The decorative vaults feature stucco arches in numerous combinations. The mosaic of the front gate was made without glue or nails. The main entrance is covered with mosaics showing beautiful geometric decorative patterns. The madrasah has several times changed its purposes during its history. Besides its main purpose of an Islamic school, it was used for a number of different needs. In the 18th c it was used even as a caravanserai. The madrasah still remains in good condition despite the fact that once the portal was heavily damaged by an earthquake and was fixed with just iron braces. During the reign of Bekler-Beg its second floor with blue domes was dismantled for bricks. Thanks to the efforts of enthusiastic master restorers who took the reconstruction initiative, the madrasah was given back its original appearance. Now the building is again under reconstruction, which is to be completed by 2020. Sadriddin Ayni, an outstanding Central Asian poet and writer of the modern times, lived and worked in the madrasah. He died in the mid-20th c, and the northern part of the building houses his memorial museum now. It shows his belongings and some of the manuscripts. The pool and the chaihana of the Lyab-i-Hauz is the modern centre of traditional Uzbekistan. A place where the very soul of Central Asia lies mirrored in a piala of steaming green tea or in the reflected symmetry of a resplendent portal, where cloudy eyed white-beards contemplate the march of time and take shelter from a land in transition. The chaikhana is not only a way of life in Central Asia, it is also an escape and an antidote to life in Central Asia. It is the essential lubricant to friendship, trade and travel. Its professionals are a hard core of regular nine to fivers, equipped with personal teapots, pialas and backgammon sets and brandishing gleaming arrays of heroic Soviet medals. Many took part in the World War II and are a wonderful source of local oral history. In few places does the name Churchill elicit such mad affection. Sadly, in recent years the locals have largely been transplanted by tourists and the wooden tea-beds replaced with plastic seats. In 2010 the entire area was overhauled and the chaikhanas rebuilt. During the early years of Soviet transformation red posters adorned the walls of the Lyab-i-Hauz chaikhana, one of a series of Red Chaikhanas which Anna Louise Strong noticed on her 1932 trip to Central Asia, wondering with some concern whether it was possible "that the East may lose its leisure, and drink its tea with one lump or two of propaganda?" The cool waters and bevelled steps of the hauz, or pool, date from 1620. It was the largest of the city reservoirs, fed directly from the main canal or Shah Rud (Royal Canal) which still bisects the old town. From here professional water-carriers would deliver large leather bags of water to wealthy clients. Today the hauz lies idyllic, but during the time of the emirate it was an idyll afloat on a sea of its own filth. Reshta worms, 'blue sickness', water fleas and dead dogs infested the stagnant water supply until the Soviets drained, restored and refilled it in the 1960s. The mulberry trees that line its shore date from 1477. The photogenic Lyabi Hauz Square is centred on an artificial reservoir (a hauz in Persian) constructed on the orders of the Grand Vizier, Nadir Divan Beghi, around 1620. The surrounding mulberry trees pre-date the construction of the hauz by 150 years, suggesting the square has long been a shaded focal point in the city. Early visitors recall the presence of jugglers, storytellers and dancing boys, musicians and magicians, and even the occasional Indian snake charmer. It's a far cry from the serene, almost sleepy spot we see today. The reservoir, which measures 42m by 36m and is 5m deep, is fed by an ancient sunken canal system known as the Shah Rud (the Royal Canal). It was built with stone steps to allow the city's water carriers to easily fill their leather buckets, regardless of the reservoir's current water level. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION😊😍