This immense four-iwan mosque occupies the site of an earlier congregational mosque commissioned by Qarakhanid ruler Arslan Khan, of which only the minaret remains. The structure evident today was initiated under the Timurids during the fifteenth century and completed under Ubaydallah Khan, the Shaybanid appanage in Bukhara.
A single story arcade of blind arches forms the main exterior façade, from the center of which projects a tall pishtaq with a semi-octagonal iwan. Behind this is situated a vestibule. A single story arcade lines the courtyard, iwans fronted by pishtaqs marking the center of each façade. The qibla façade is emphasized by the tallest pishtaq, behind which a high dome rises over the sanctuary. A small bridge leading from the roof of the mosque provides access to the minaret.
Hazarbaf brickwork predominates, with hexagonal haft-rangi floral tiles in the spandrels. The sanctuary mihrab, probably dating from the sixteenth century, was executed in mosaic faience.
Sources:
Golombek, L. and Wilber, D. eds. 1988. The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 228-230.
Michell, G. 1995. Architecture of the Islamic World. London: Thames and Hudson, 259.
