Ak Mosque — Attraction in Khiva

The Ak Mosque "White Mosque", or Ak-machet, is a small district mosque. Its architecture is unique, as most buildings in Khiva feature a single north-facing iwan (open-sided room), or perhaps two set side-by-side, as in the Kuhna Ark citadel. Instead, the iwans of the Ak Mosque extend around three sides of the building, forming a continuous veranda, supported by a number of carved wooden columns. The intent of this design is not clear, though from a practical standpoint it provides a much larger sheltered area for worshipers visiting the mosque. The foundations of the mosque extend four meters into the earth, indicating the great care taken in its construction. The ground-level portion of the mosque is painted white, giving the building its name. Four small windows, inset with pandjara (gridded lattice work) provide the only source of illumination. On the carved wooden door on the north side of the building are the names Nur Muhammad and Kalandar, the master woodworkers responsible for the door and probably the columns as well.

A small, squat minaret stands at the building's northwest corner.

The mosque is the easternmost building inside the citadel along the Polvon Qori, the main east-west street spanning Khiva's historic inner city, the Ichan Kala. Directly to the east is a domed passage leading out of the city via...

Xiva binolari qatorida guzar masjidlarini tez aniqlab olish qiyin. Chunki ko‘pchilik masjidlar xuddi uy-joy binolariga o‘xshatib qurilgan, shular ichida Oq masjid boshqacharoq qurilgan.

Masjidning tashqi ko‘rinishi, uch tarafdan o‘rab olingan soya-salqin ayvoni, bir gumbazli binosining uchta eshigi masjidning jamoat yig‘ilish joyi ekanligidan darak beradi. Uning qadimgi qismi ( poydevori) Anushaxon hammomi bilan bir vaqtda qurilgan. Lekin o‘ymakor eshiklardagi yozuvlar binoning 1838-1842 yillarda qurilganini ko‘rsatadi. Xuddi shu vaqtga kelib maydon atrofidagi hamma binolar asosan qurilgan bo‘lib, endi ustalar qolgan kichik bir sahnda bino qurishlari kerak edi.

Bu binoni me’morchiligi maydonning mahobatini ifoda etishi, qo‘shni uy-joy imoratlaridan uncha tafovut etmaydigan bo‘lishi lozim edi, xivalik ustalar bu vazifani a’lo darjada ado etganlar.

Masjid gumbazi xona va ayvondan iborat, markaziy gumbaz chorsi (6,35 x 6,35) xonaga o‘rnatilgan. Xona ravoqlar yordamida kengaytirilgan. Ayvon tuzilishi va yon devorlar masjidning fasad kompozitsiyasini aniq belgilab turadi. Yassi tom ustidan baland ko‘tarilgan gumbaz kvadrat asosi bilan birgalikda uzoqdan zinapoyasimon ko‘rinish baxsh etadi.

Masjidning qulay joylashganligi mehrobni janubiy devorga joylashtirish imkonini bergan. Bu esa xonada va ayvonda baravar namoz o‘qish imkonini beradi. Ustalar masjidni qurganlarida va bezak berganlarida sodda uslubda qurib, sodda bezaklar berish bilan cheklanganlar. Yog‘och ustunlarda o‘yma naqshlar deyarli yo‘q, faqat ustun tepasi xakamkoriy-pilaklardan terib yasalgan, yog‘och o‘ymakorligi san’atini ustalaridan Odina Qalandar o‘g‘li Nurmuhammad va Sayidmuhammad o‘g‘li Qalandarlar uchta eshik bezagida o‘z mahoratlarini namoyish etganlar.

Eshiklarning islimiy naqshlari va jimjimasi bir xil uslubda ishlangan. Shimoliy tomonga qaragan eshik orqasidagi devorda har xil yozuvlarga o‘xshash naqshlar...

Those who enter the Ichan Qala via the Polvon Darvoza, after leaving the long corridor that is actually the gate, walk directly onto the small and intimate Oq Masjid. The original "White Mosque" was built in 1657 by Anush Khan in honor of his father Abu i-Ghazi. The current mosque was built between 1838 and 1842 by Allah Kuli...