Ulugbek Madrasah
Ulugbek Madrasah
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
111 reviews
Excellent
38
Very good
51
Average
20
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Ramadama
New Providence, NJ2,908 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
Beautiful madrasa but you can not enter it since it is being used for iinstruction. The minaret in the square is so magnificent...especially at night.
Written October 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew M
7,589 contributions
Jul 2019
The Ulugbek Madrasa is located opposite the Abdulaziz Khan madrasa on Khodja Nurobobod Street. This is one of the most famous sites in the old city. Whilst not as colourful as it's opposite neighbour, it was built between 1417-1420 and was the first large madrasa in Bukhara. It set the standard for all the other madrasas in the city over the different eras. The portal is representative of buildings from the Timurid era, as the tiles of varying blue shades are used as decoration. The designs are in strips on either side of the portal, but different from other buildings in the city, as there are no tile decorations above the arch.
There were a few areas above the doorway where tiles had fallen off. The twisting serpent like designs on the arch, are said to be have been added in 1586 during the Sheybanid Dynasty, when the shape of the outer columns was also adjusted. The name of the architect,Ismail b. Tahir b. Mahmad Isfahani, is said to be on the portal. We didn't enter the building, so must have missed quite a few architectural treats inside. We heard that the main features were the antechamber on entering, the mosque to the left and lecture hall to the right. The unique feature is the northern iwan which extends outside the building. You can walk on Khakikat Street and turn right on a narrow lane to get behind the mausoleum and take photos of the unique north iwan if you do not wish to enter.
An interesting fact is that the madrasa is not on a perfect north to south line, but slightly skewed so that the qibla wall of the mosque faces mecca. Another, is that the madrasa was bombed by the Soviets during the 1920 invasion of Bukhara. It is one of the few Timurid era structures in Bukhara, another being the Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum in Samanid Park. It is an opportunity to compare the improvements in architecture between the two facing madrasas, as the 250 year newer Abdulaziz Khan structure used bright colours and more detailed honeycomb designs.
Other "kosh" structures in Bukhara include the nearby Kalon mosque and mir-i-arab madrassa and the Modarixon and Abdulloxon madrasa on Mirdustin Street.
There were a few areas above the doorway where tiles had fallen off. The twisting serpent like designs on the arch, are said to be have been added in 1586 during the Sheybanid Dynasty, when the shape of the outer columns was also adjusted. The name of the architect,Ismail b. Tahir b. Mahmad Isfahani, is said to be on the portal. We didn't enter the building, so must have missed quite a few architectural treats inside. We heard that the main features were the antechamber on entering, the mosque to the left and lecture hall to the right. The unique feature is the northern iwan which extends outside the building. You can walk on Khakikat Street and turn right on a narrow lane to get behind the mausoleum and take photos of the unique north iwan if you do not wish to enter.
An interesting fact is that the madrasa is not on a perfect north to south line, but slightly skewed so that the qibla wall of the mosque faces mecca. Another, is that the madrasa was bombed by the Soviets during the 1920 invasion of Bukhara. It is one of the few Timurid era structures in Bukhara, another being the Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum in Samanid Park. It is an opportunity to compare the improvements in architecture between the two facing madrasas, as the 250 year newer Abdulaziz Khan structure used bright colours and more detailed honeycomb designs.
Other "kosh" structures in Bukhara include the nearby Kalon mosque and mir-i-arab madrassa and the Modarixon and Abdulloxon madrasa on Mirdustin Street.
Written October 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rosmedubey
Gurugram (Gurgaon), India195 contributions
Jul 2018
It’s a beautiful madrasah with a gorgeous front on the way to the Ark and makes a great place for taking pictures
Written June 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricardo B
Miami, FL2,808 contributions
Jul 2018 • Solo
This Madrasah is in the boundaries of the old city and it is part of a very nice ground of outstanding buildings and indoor bazaars. One of many but still worth visiting
Written July 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JGDynamo
Canada2,084 contributions
Jul 2017 • Friends
Around 600 years old, the Ulugbek Madrasah was a quick stop for us during some time in Bukhara a few months ago. As beautiful as any madrasah we have seen so far in our journeys it is marvelous to see, you do have to pay additional to take pictures but really it’s not too expensive to do so.
Written May 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
YpsilantiFoodie
ypsilanti347 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
This madrasah has been restored but not overly so like some sites in Bukhara. It also does not attract the crowds of other madrasahs. A number of craftspeople have stalls inside.
Written May 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Geminican
San Jose, CA2,103 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
Famous with its names but noting really significant inside. When we were there in October 2017, it's closed for renovation, we could only take pictures from outside.
Written December 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beazer15
12 contributions
Nov 2017 • Friends
Some many ways to feel connected to Marco Polo and the Silk Road trade route and cultural history of the area.
Written December 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Centasia
Khiva, Uzbekistan206 contributions
Aug 2017 • Business
Peoople who start learning some history of Uzbekistan will surely find some interesting facts about Tamerlane and his grandson Ulugh Beg. This madrasah acan be a good complex together with the madrasah Abdulaziz standing in front of it. All monumnets bukt by Ulugh Beg are worth visiting.
Written August 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stevieblooz
Glasgow, UK159 contributions
May 2017 • Couples
The gateway and entrance are beautiful and there is a small caligraphy museum inside. There are also many craft stalls but like the rest of this wonderful country nobody is too pushy and it is not hard to say no. However the cushion covers were very reasonably priced so my partner purchased a few
Written May 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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