Khojamberdibi Madrasah

Khojamberdibi Madrasah is an architectural monument in the city of Khiva, Khorazm Region of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The monument, was originally built in 1688; it was rebuilt in 1834 and got its present appearance. Today, the madrasah is located at 22, Zargarlar street, Itchan Kala neighborhood.

By the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan on October 4, 2019, the Yunuskhan madrasah was included in the national list of real estate objects of tangible cultural heritage and received state protection. Currently, the Itchan Kala state museum-reserve is state property based on the right of operational management.

History
Khojamberdibi madrasa is located east of the Polvon Gate, and was built by local landowners in 1688. According to another source, the madrasa was built by Muhammad Rizobek in 1694–1695, and the main gable of the madrasa was built facing the bathhouse of Anushakhan on the south side. This monument is one of the oldest madrasahs in Khiva. Almost 150 years later, in 1834, Khan of Khiva Allah Kuli Khan built a madrasa and a mosque for Qutlugh Murad Inaq. While a new madrasa named Olloqulixon Madrasa was building, Khojamberdibi madrasa was also rebuilt with two courtyards and its door faced west. The mosque and adjoining rooms had been preserved from the previous madrasa. As a result of the destruction of a part of the city wall during the construction process, the exterior wall of the madrasa fell into the courtyard of the Khojamberdibi madrasa. The reason for this was that the foundations of the two buildings were not at the same height. The large gable of the madrasa was demolished and a low passage connecting the courtyards was built in its place – the gatehouse. As a result, the inner courtyard of the Khojamberdibi madrasa was divided into two parts and had a look reminiscent of a covered courtyard. After that, the madrasa was called "Khurjun madrasa" among the residents. On the marble stone above the door of the madrasa was written when and by whom it was built. It contains the following inscriptions: "Muhammad Rizobek, the son of Khojamberdibi, who was originally from the Qiyat people." According to records, the madrasah was renovated almost a hundred years later during the reign of Muhammad Amin Inak. Today, there is a kitchen in place of the madrasah.

Architecture
Initially, Khojamberdibi madrasah was built including a mosque, a 10-12-room (later 16) with a courtyard and a square layout (20x38 m). There is a corridor (ramp) leading to the courtyards and the Olloqulixon Madrasa from the simple one-domed gatehouse (3.0x3.0 m). There are 10 rooms in the northern courtyard (11.7x9.8 m) and 6 rooms and a classroom (3.5x3.5 m) in the southern courtyard (4x7 m); the mihrab on the wall of the classroom shows that it was used as a mosque. The appearance of the building is similar to the architectural form of Olloqulixon Madrasa, the rooms are low, sometimes with domes, without decoration; only the entrance doors are decorated with wood carvings. When the madrasa was commissioned, there were porches in the corners, and during the hottest part of the day, madrasa teachers and students rested there.