Bibi-Khanym Mosque

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque (Uzbek: Bibixonim masjidi; Persian: مسجد بی بی خانم; also variously spelled as Khanum, Khanom, Hanum, Hanim) is one of the most important monuments of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In the 15th century, it was one of the largest and most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world. It is considered a masterpiece of the Timurid Renaissance. By the mid-20th century, only a grandiose ruin of it still survived, but major parts of the mosque were restored during the Soviet period.

After his Indian campaign in 1399, Timur (Tamerlane) decided to undertake the construction of a gigantic mosque in his new capital, Samarkand. He may have been inspired by the design of the Friday Mosque in Sultaniyeh, built by Uljaytu (r.1304–1316). When Timur returned from his military campaign in 1404 the mosque was almost completed. However, Timur was not happy with the progress of construction, and immediately had various changes made, especially on the main cupola.

From the beginning of the construction, problems of structural integrity of the structure revealed themselves. Various reconstructions and reinforcements were undertaken in order to save the mosque. However, after just a few years, the first bricks had begun to fall out of the huge dome over the mihrab. The scale of Timur's plans pushed the building techniques of the time to their limit, and the building's integrity was not helped by the rushed nature of its construction.

Timur named the mosque after his wife, Saray Mulk Khanum. However, the Bibi Khanym Mosque was actually commissioned by Saray Mulk Khanum herself.

In the late 16th century, the Abdullah Khan II (Abdollah Khan Ozbeg) (1533/4-1598), the last Shaybanid Dynasty Khan of Bukhara, cancelled all restoration works in Bibi-Khanym Mosque. After that, the mosque slowly deteriorated and became a ruins gnawed at by the wind, weather, and earthquakes. The inner arch of the portal construction finally collapsed in an earthquake in 1897. During the centuries the ruins were plundered by the inhabitants of Samarkand in search of building material, especially the brick of the masonry galleries along with the marble columns.

A first basic investigation into securing the ruins was made in Soviet times. Late in the 20th century, the Uzbek government began restoration of three dome buildings and the main portal. In 1974 the government of the then-Uzbek SSR began the complex reconstruction of the mosque. The decoration of domes and facades was extensively restored and supplemented. During these restorations, a band of inscriptions revealing Surat al-Baqarah of the Quran was added to the main sanctuary iwan of the mosque. As of 2016, work on the mosque restoration was ongoing.^{[better source needed]}

In October 2024 the Qatar Fund for Development and the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation agreed to provide $4,175,000 of funding to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture for it to restore the mosque complex. The project aims to complete previous restoration efforts and rebuild the mosque, while at the same time training locals in the use of traditional building techniques.

According to the manuscripts, the mosque was erected by the order of Timur in 1399–1405. It possesses the traits typical for many Muslim medieval constructions, especially aivanyard compositions. The mosque follows the basic plan of the courtyard mosque. Its outer walls enclose a rectangular area which measures 167 metres (182.63 yards) in length and 109 metres (119.20 yards) wide and runs roughly from northeast to southwest—the Qibla accordingly. However the size of the site vacant of covered galleries was only 78 by 64 meters.