Said Otaliq Madrasa

Said Otaliq Madrasa
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
District	Denov
Region	Surxondaryo Region
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Under state protection
Ownership	State property, operated and managed by the cultural heritage department of the Surxondarya Region
Location
Location	Mustaqillik Street
Country	Uzbekistan
Architecture
Architect(s)	Ahmad Mamat Buxoriy
Style	Central Asian architecture
Creator	Said Otaliq (or Sayyid Atalik)
Funded by	Said Otaliq
Materials	Brick

Said Otaliq Madrasa is a two-story madrasa building located on Mustaqillik Street in the center of Denov, a city in Uzbekistan's Surxondaryo Region.

The building's architectural style is similar to the large madrasas of Bukhara, such as Kukeldash Madrasah, but is unique among madrasas in the Surxondaryo Region. It is included on Uzbekistan's national list of buildings with significant cultural heritage. Currently, the madrasa is in poor condition and may be on the verge of structural collapse.

History

Other sources claim that the madrasa was built in the 19th century by master architect Ahmad Mamat Buxoriy under the patronage of Said Otaliq, the father-in-law of the then-Emir of Bukhara, Haydar bin Shahmurad. Said Otaliq also served as governor of Denov for several years.

According to "Tuhfat az-Zairiyn", Hazrat Xoja Alouddin Attor Sheikh was the seventeenth in the chain of shaykhs of the Naqshbandi sect. He was the successor and son-in-law of Baha' al-Din Naqshband. He was considered one of the two caliphs of that person. Hazrat Xoja Alouddin Attor came to Chaganiyan region with his family in 1389-1396 and died in Denov on March 18, 1400 AD. He was buried in a place called Sarmozor Ota. This place is now called "Shayx Attor Valiy" or "Ostona buva". Later generations of Xoja Alouddin Attor, including his son Sheikh Hasan Attoriy and grandson Xoja Yusuf Attor, are buried in the cemetery.

Researchers note that the Said otaliq madrasa was established by the descendants of Hazrat Xoja Alouddin Attor. According to Fathnomai Sultoniy, it was built by Sayyid otaliq, the father-in-law of Haydar, the ruler of Bukhara Emirate, at the beginning of the 19th century. Sayyid otaliq served as governor of Denov for several years.

Before the Bukharan revolution, about 400 students studied at the madrasa, and 33 teachers taught them. The madrasah was closed during the USSR. In 1956-1960 and 1972-1973, it was scientifically studied by scientists of the Uzbekistan SSR. Since 1991, with the initiative of Hoji Luqmonxon Haydarxon oʻgʻli, 4-year education of students has been started in the madrasah. Today, the activity of the madrasa as a secondary Islamic educational institution has been suspended. According to reports in 2018-2019, the madrasa building was on the verge of collapse. The madrasa was included in the national list of "Real Estate Objects of Tangible Cultural Heritage" approved in 2019, and a craft center is planned to be built there. In 2020, measures were developed to preserve the building and improve its infrastructure, and the deadline was March–April 2021.

Architecture

The architectural style of the madrasah was established under the traditions of its time. The courtyard of the building consists of large and small rooms built on two floors. There is a main room behind the facade, a mosque, and a classroom on both sides. The corners of the madrasa were decorated with bouquets. The number of terraces in the yard of 40x29.5 meters is 2. The depth of the foundation of the madrasa is 5.5 meters. The roof is vaulted. The windows of the room are made of ganch bars.