KOSH MADRASA

To the west, the Koutloug Mourad Inak madrasa, built between 1804 and 1812, under the reign of the eponymous khan, by the grandfather of Allah Kouli khan. Khan Koutloug Mourad Inak wanted to be buried in his madrasah, but death surprised him while he was in Dichan kala, the outer city. Since the law forbids the entry of the dead into the inner city, Allah Kuli Khan found a solution by tearing down the city walls that separated the madrasah from the outer city. There was no longer any reason why the khan should not be buried in the vestibule of his madrasah. It was Khiva's first madrasah with two floors of cells. Another special feature is that it is built on top of another madrasa dating from 1688: the Khodjamberdibi Madrasa, which, during the new construction, was converted and renamed Khujum. The domes and the gate were removed, and a passage was drilled through the middle of it. It now serves as a terrace at the gate of the Koutloug Mourad Inak madrasa. The arches of the cells are visible at the front of the great madrasah. The large underground well located in his courtyard supplied pure water to the entire inner city. Today the children come to fetch the banknotes that the pilgrims threw there and no one drinks any more of its water. In season, a puppeteer offers his little show to tourists for whom a few benches have been set up in the courtyard.

The Allah Kouli Khan madrasa was built in 1834 opposite the Koutloug Mourad Inak madrasa, forming the traditional couple of kosh madrasas. One of the largest in the city, it housed Khiva's library. At that time, Allah Kouli Khan wanted to completely reorganize the eastern entrance of the city. He had the inner city wall demolished and a whole complex of commercial and religious buildings erected, thus moving the centre of the city to the vicinity of the Tash Khauli Palace. The new complex included a huge caravanserai, a covered market, baths as well as a madrasah and a mosque. The caravanserai was turned into a supermarket by the Soviets. A curiosity! It opens onto a 14-dome timer. A gallery with 6 domes runs along the Allah Kouli Khan Madrasa and leads to Palvan Darvosa, the east gate, which opens to the outer city and the bazaar. The Allah Kouli Khan Madrasa is only really interesting because of its majestic deep blue portal. Inside, around a rectangular courtyard measuring 30 m by 34 m, the cells are spread over two floors, as in the Koutloug Mourad Inak madrasa.