Mavlana Sharif Madrasa: A 17th-Century Islamic School in Bukhara
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Uzbekistan
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Khanate of Bukhara
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Madrasa
History
Mavlana Sharif Madrasa is a 17th-century madrasa, an Islamic educational institution traditionally focused on religious learning, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. It was built under Abdulaziz Khan (1645–1681), an Uzbek ruler from the Ashtarkhanid house that governed the Bukhara Khanate.
Construction was funded by Mavlono Sharif al-Alavi, a prominent Bukhara jurist and theorist of dervish traditions, religious practices associated with dervishes in Sufi Muslim communities. He also advised the khan. Born in Bukhara in 1617, Mavlono Sharif died in 1690 and was buried in a mausoleum named for him.
The madrasa stands in Bukhara’s historic center, in the X. Ashurov neighborhood of Mirzo Ulugʻbek district. Built mainly of fired brick, it is an example of Central Asian architecture. Restoration and repair work took place in 2013–2015. The building is protected and listed in Uzbekistan’s national register of immovable cultural heritage, and it is used for exhibitions.
