Jami Mosque

Old Town of Tashkent if full of historical monuments. Modern buildings mix in with remaining of the past. Jami Mosque – the main part of the Registan ensemble, is one of them. The third biggest mosque or the Friday Mosque in Tashkent was built in 819 by the emir Yahya ibn Asad. It is the only example of courtyard-type mosque in Uzbekistan. He was a ruler appointed by the Arabs, who conquered the city. When the Arabs invaded the city, they razed it to the ground.

Reconstruction of the mosque cause reconstruction of the whole Tahskent, which was called Shashkent at that time. It was decided to build the mosque on top of the hill, between Chorsu, Eski Juva and Khadra squares. With time, the mosque got destroyed. By the order of Sheikh Ubaidullah Hoja Ahror, new Friday Mosque was built on its foundation. The descendant of the Prophet Muhammad decided to build it before moving to Samarkand. It was built in a shape of 15 meters’ cube, that symbolized holy Kaaba. The cube is shut down with a cupola with 4 windows.

The Jami Mosque is oriented to the direction of Mecca, like any other Muslim mosque. The interior and exterior of the mosque were done in modest style. This was done in order not to distract anyone from praying. All those things were meant to ensure that prayers reached Allah. It was believed that if any rule during the construction was broken, prayers wouldn’t reach Allah.When Tashkent didn’t have high modern buildings, Jami Mosque could be seen from any part of the city.

Unfortunately, renovated mosque didn’t survive the course of time either. Distinguishing arches and domes, which were a part of the original look of the mosque, are known only from photos. It was also destroyed by the earthquake in 1868. For the following 20 years the mosque didn’t function, but the Russian Emperor Alexander III heavily invested in reconstruction. That is why Jami Mosque is called Tsarist Mosque. Today, the Jami Mosque is crowned with 3 cupolas, due to last restoration in 2003. It is still functioning and calls people for Friday prayers.