Hoja Zayniddin Mosque 29.05.2024

 Today out trip was to the Lhoja Zayniddin Mosque

Hoja Zayniddin Mosque (1540s-early 1550s)

The Hoja Zayniddin is a mid-16th century mosque located at the junction of two side streets 300 meters southwest of the Po-i-Kalyan square within the shahr-i-darun, or "inner city". Although its interior houses the grandest dome in Bukhara, very little of substance is known about the origin of the building—both its sponsor and its architect have been lost to the mists of time. Even so, the quality of construction, its proximity to the heart of the city, and its large footprint strongly suggest it was a product of the city's ruling elite, or even of the Khan himself

Like all mosques in central Asia, the mosque is organized around an east-west axis canted to the south, toward Mecca, with the qibla wall to the west. The ideal mosque is symmetrical, but the dense urban fabric of 16th century Bukhara likely necessitated a compromise, such that the angle of the building's south and west facades (facing the street) are out of kilter with the primary axis.

No epigraphic or historical evidence mentions the sponsor or architect of the mosque, nor is there any dedicatory evidence indicating the year it was built. Based on the technology used in its construction, it cannot have been built any earlier than the late 15th century as its arch is supported by a chahar taq, as noted above. Badr and Tupev narrow the date further, as land sale records in the vicinity of the site only begin to suggest the presence of the mosque beginning Jan 23, 1552. The records make specific reference to the living quarter being known as the "Hawz-i Khoja Zayniddin", implying that the hauz was under the control or supervision of the Hoja Zayniddin mosque.

Today, the mosque remains in active use and is an important contributor to the cultural fabric of the city and its residents.