The most beautiful religious buildings Route de la soie

Located east of the Friday Mosque, the Abdullah Khan Madrasa was built in honour of the 17-year-old Khan, who died fighting the Turkmen, after a short reign of five months. The madrasa houses a Natural History Museum, and each of its cells is arranged around a theme: cotton, silk, fruit... The museum also presents a rich collection of stuffed animals, including birds and reptiles. Facing the madrasah, the Ak mosque, built in 1838, was built on foundations dating back to the middle of the 17th century.

Built in 1851, during the reign of Khan Mohammed Amin, it was one of the largest madrasas in Central Asia, with a square courtyard of 38 m on each side for a building measuring a total of 72 m by 60 m. A construction in the image of the khan, Khiva's most illustrious ruler: he conquered Merv and imposed his law on the warring Tekke before dying beheaded in a battle on the Iranian border, leaving Khiva open to nomadic attacks for the next decades. To make way for the impressive building, part of the fortification walls had to be demolished. The one hundred and twenty-five cells on two levels housed two hundred and sixty students until 1924. The tympanums of the high portal and of the two storeys of cells on the façade are decorated with blue majolica motifs. The construction of the madrasa offered Soviet historians an illustration of the class struggle under the khans. Indeed, after two years of exhausting work, the workers, who, of course, received no money, revolted: most of them being peasants, they could no longer look after their fields and famine was looming. The revolt was suppressed the Khivian way: Matiakoub, the leader of the rebellion, was wrapped in a wet animal skin and buried alive under the foundations of the minaret. The recent history of the madrasah is not necessarily more cheerful, since the Soviets turned it into a prison in the 1930s and 1940s.

Built in 1726, it houses the Museum of Medicine dedicated to Avicenna and Al-Khorezmi. Above the entrance, an inscription states: "I accept death at the hands of slaves. "It was engraved after the death of Shirgazi Khan inside the madrasah. He had used Persian slaves and Russian prisoners to build this madrasa, promising them a freedom he never gave them. One day when he came to supervise the work, the overworked slaves stoned him to death with bricks.

The two madrasas Modar-i-Khan and Abdullah Khan are located to the southwest of the Bolo-Khauz Mosque. The smaller of the two, the Modar-i-Khan Madrasa, dedicated to the mother of Abdullah khan, was built in 1566, at the beginning of the Emir's reign. It is a madrasa of classical architecture, comprising a level of cells where the students lived and a mosque and a courtyard room, or darskhana, overlooking an inner courtyard. The same craftsmen and souvenir shops can be found there today as in other madrasas in Bukhara. The Abdullah Khan Madrasa dates back to 1588. Also built by Abdullah khan, but then at the height of its glory, its appearance exudes more power than its modest neighbour. The madrasa has a traditional layout, with a large courtyard surrounded by cells, but the architects have complicated the structure by increasing the number of cells at the corners of the buildings with courtyard rooms topped by a dome. The 'Abdullah's Lantern', located in the north wing, is an example of these architectural finds. This octahedral hall is surrounded by two-storey ogival galleries. The entrance to the madrasah can be closed, but it is possible to enter the madrasah by going around the left side. Unless the restorers have taken it over, you will be able to wander freely through this veritable labyrinth and discover the star-shaped decorations on the interior domes of the mosque and darskhana.

This gigantic complex comprising a madrasah and a mosque and capable of accommodating 10,000 worshippers, was built between 1885 and 1892 by a wealthy inhabitant of Andijan. The madrasa has two domes, a 123 m long façade and 122 cells and was largely preserved during the 1902 earthquake. It underwent renovation work between 1970 and 1975, before being transformed into a Literary Museum in 1997. Inside, one can access the roof and the two domes, which offer a bird's eye view of the nearby Jumi Mosque and its minaret.

Built at the beginning of the last century, in 1915, this highly photogenic mosque is distinguished by its immense dome topped by the crescent of Islam. With a diameter of just over 14 m, this dome is one of the largest in Central Asia. In the 1990s, it was home to the Wahhabi organization Namangan and was closed in 2001 due to the actions of the MIO. It has since reopened as a madrasah to welcome students from the Mullah Kyrgyz Madrasah.

The Vendredi Mosque in Namangan was closed after the September 11 attacks. We can, however, admire the two minarets encircling its entrance, which differ radically from Uzbek style to remind the mosques of Istanbul…

Following Uishinskaya street, take the second street on the right after the madrasah. This is the former rue des couteliers, which leads to a mausoleum dating from the 18th century where only men are allowed to enter. Note the terracotta decorations and inscriptions on the façade, typical of Ferghana art. Inside there is nothing particularly noticeable, but when you come out take a look at the adjoining mosque and madrasah, which welcomes Muslims for prayer.

Restored in 1992 and again in 2011, this madrasa was founded in 1910 by a wealthy cotton magnate and fervent Muslim from Namangan. The portal and the minarets have been completely restored and are decorated with white, yellow, blue and green ceramics. Inside, a small courtyard planted with colossal trees is surrounded by 35 cells that could accommodate a total of nearly 150 students. To the right of the entrance, a little higher up, note the work on an iwan with finely decorated woodwork that dominates the whole.

Built on the location of the 1124 st century Cathedral of St. Helena, seized by the Muslim ruler of Aleppo in, in retaliation for atrocities committed by the «Franj» during the crusades. Just opposite the entrance, in the prayer room, note the capitals of Byzantine origin and the splendid wooden mihrab. Women must provide for a shawl, there are no available at the entrance.

In a tiny street devoted to the trade in wool (in a pelota), you will discover on your right the Syrian, Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches, before arriving at the church of the forty-Martyrs, the oldest (th century) church. Enter the cloister and walk on the tombs of the Armenian martyrs massacred by the Turks in 1915, just below the impressive bell tower. The charm of the Syrian Catholic Church stems from its strange blend of pious images and oriental architecture, including the alternance of coloured stones in the choir.

It was built in 1233 on order of the widow of the son of Saladin, Sultan Az-Zahir al-Ghazi, and daughter of the brother of Saladin al-Adil. Its mosque is organized around a small square courtyard bordered by porticos whose arches are based on wooden pieces on the columns of columns. An original device designed to defy earthquakes. The mihrab of the prayer room, located opposite the vast iwan of the courtyard, decorated with a splendid marble marquetry, is described by the Aleppins as the most «chauvinists of Syria's finest mihrab. If possible, it is better to get there at 12 p. m. The faithful carry out prayer inside, while a handful of merchants are active outside, with their carriages filled with vegetables or fruit. Placed at the exit of the mosque, they harvest the faithful barely the prayer completed. A quarter of an hour later, they disappear as fast as they ran. At the end of prayer, non-Muslims can enter and admire the interior of the building as well as the small dozen tombs of holy saints there.

Completed in 1783, the church bears witness to the importance of a community that had its gable on the street when the former capital was courting the West. It has an attractive pastel yellow baroque facade with an arch resting on free columns, due to Vallin de la Mothe and Rinaldi. It is here that the last King of Poland, Stanislas Poniatowski, a favourite of the Great Catherine and General Moreau, who died in 1813, has been buried here since 1798. Mickiewicz, Honoré de Balzac, Dumas Sr., Liszt prayed there

Built in 1951, the current building that houses the museum is the Neve Shalom Synagogue, one of the city's most important synagogues. It can accommodate 2,000 faithful. The museum there traces the history of this community that lived without discrimination in its new homeland. Maps, portraits of famous people, precious documents, newspaper excerpts, religious objects are displayed in this former synagogue.

This complex, which initially consisted of a mosque, a medersa, an elementary school, a popular canteen, a hammam, a caravanserai, a warehouse, an observatory, a fountain and mausoleums, was completed between 1546 and 1548 by Sinan the Architect for Sultan Mihrimah, the daughter of Suleiman the Magnificent and wife of the great vizier Rüstem Paşa. Sinan thus laid the foundations for what would become the classical Ottoman architecture of that period. The mosque, the medersa, the elementary school, the fountain, the hammam and two mausoleums are still intact. The mosque, with its prayer room almost twice as high as it is deep, seems to defy the laws of gravity. The 4 tympanic walls, with 200 windows, give this building an exceptional luminosity. It is to this mosque, located in the centre of the complex, that Sinan the Architect applied for the first time a double portico for the prayers of the late. The interior peristyle is high and has five domes. The white marble ablutions fountain has 21 facets. Built on a rectangular plan, this mosque is topped by a large dome, supported on the sides and ends of the mihrab(niche) by half-domes, and reinforced by buttresses placed at the four outer corners. Small side parts covered with domes have been installed at the corners of the mihrab (pulpit) wall. The carvings and stained glass windows are late, unlike the ivory and mother-of-pearl inlays, the marbles and carved woods, which are period. An interesting decorative element is a sundial installed in 1769 on the wall of the west facade. The medersa, made entirely of ashlar and now used as a health centre, is a building built in accordance with the classical Ottoman architectural plan. The elementary school, located south of the mosque, consists of two rectangular spaces with domes. The fountain in front of the north entrance is made of ashlar and red and coloured marble. The double hammam with three canopies and its cells placed at the corners is built on the classic Ottoman hammam plan. The surrounding mausoleums were built after the complex was built. One of them is rectangular in shape, topped by a dome resting on an octagonal drum. Another has a dome decorated with remarkable calligraphy, supported by four marble columns.

The mosque of Mehmed the Conqueror is built on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles, the fourth hill in the city according to tradition. Founded by Constantine I the Great (^5th century), it was one of the most important in Constantinople and housed the tombs of the first Byzantine emperors. After the conquest of the city, the church was placed at the disposal of Patriarch Scholarios, who had his possession of Saint Sophia taken away. Mehmed II the Conqueror then decided to build a vast complex of Koranic theology in his name, in order to confirm the elevation of the Ottoman Empire by a large building, as the Byzantines did. Its goal is to surpass them. The first mosque of Mehmed the Conqueror was built on this site between 1462 and 1470.

The outbuildings of this mosque are considered to form the first university in Istanbul due to the importance of its schools, library, hospital, Turkish bath and housing. You reach the courtyard through two rows of windows through three doors, one of which forms a portal, near which you can read an inscription that recalls the words of the Prophet Mohammed: "What happiness for the army that will conquer Constantinople, and what glory for its leader. "In the centre, there is an ablutions fountain supported by eight columns, covered by a roof with a large marble basin in the centre. The walls of the fountain courtyard, the gate, the prayer niche and the minaret bases are covered with glazed earthenware. The courtyard is lined with porticoes whose galleries are covered by 22 domes. The mosque, which is the centre of the complex, has a large central space topped by a dome supported by four large pillars. The minarets were rebuilt in the 19th century, with the addition of a second circular balcony. The prayer room is preceded outside by a peristyle courtyard, which includes 22 domes and 18 columns of marble and granite. The latter would come from the baths of Zeuxippe, which were the most sumptuous in the city in the early Byzantine period, located near the temple of Zeus Hippios (Zeus cavalier). The medersas are built according to the classic Ottoman distribution plan, with bedrooms and a large classroom. Remarkable in their simplicity, the mausoleums of Mehmed the Conqueror and his wife, Sultan Gülbahar, are located in the south courtyard of the mosque.

The great vizier Mahmud Paşa ordered its construction. The complex included a mosque, mausoleum, hammam, elementary school, medersa, covered market, court and refectory. Only a small part of these buildings remains today. The mausoleum is covered with purple and turquoise Iznik ceramics. Of the original double hammam built in 1467, only the part that was reserved for men is still intact. The mosque is one of the oldest in Istanbul.

It is the only synagogue still in service of the Ashkenazi community in Istanbul, founded by Ashkenazi from Austria. Totally different from Sephardic synagogues, its facade is in European style, and its pagoda-like altar is probably the work of a Pole. In its centre is a large silver-coloured dome and imposing lamps brought back from Vienna. Its architecture is reminiscent of Ottoman period pavilions.

Icon restoration workshops can be visited by appointment. The Patriarch exercises his direct authority only over the Turkish dioceses, Thrace, the Dodecanese Islands, Crete and Mount Athos, or four million Orthodox out of an estimated two hundred million. Symbolically, it retains a decision-making role in all national churches (Russia, Greece, Cyprus, etc.). It also has the power not to recognize some of them (Macedonia, Albania, Turkey). It consists of the residence of Patriarch Bartholomew, several administrative buildings, a library, a school for girls, another for boys, various workshops and the church of St. George. Only the church is accessible to the public through a side door. In the courtyard, the two-headed eagle on the façade, a symbol of Byzantium, can be seen. The interior decoration is naturally very rich, starting with the iconostasis completely covered with gold leaves. About sixty icons crown this symbolic separation of Earth and Heaven. In the centre of the temple, velvet seats can accommodate VIP guests visiting Istanbul. Presidents of foreign states cannot escape this ritual. The church also houses some relics of saints and the Flagellation column brought back from Jerusalem by Empress Helena. The most remarkable piece is undoubtedly the patriarchal throne, known as the Saint-Jean-Chrysostome throne, made of marquetry and ivory.

At Toptaşı, on a vast and rugged terrain, it is part of a complex built between 1577 and 1583, in accordance with the wishes of the mother of Sultan Murad III (1574-1595), Sultan Nurbanu. It is one of the largest complexes built by the architect Sinan. Apart from the mosque, there is a medersa, a dispensary, a caravanserai, a hospice, a popular canteen and a Koranic reading school built close together. The central space of the mosque is topped by a dome resting on six pillars and extends towards two lateral spaces each covered with two domes. The inner part is covered with four domes, while the outer part has a sloping roof. The building is covered with 16th century Iznik ceramic panels. The marble minbar is carved with geometric motifs and the imperial lodge is decorated with 18th century carvings. The rectangular courtyard is bordered by a peristyle covered with domes. The medersa, which is adjoining the mosque wall, is built according to a classical plan, with rooms aligned along the courtyard and bordered by a portico. The large classroom is located in the east wing. The dispensary of the complex is to the east of the mosque. The double hammam consists of a vaulted frigidarium (dedicated to cold baths), a tepidarium (warm baths) topped by a cupola in the centre and a caldarium (hot baths) with a large cupola.

Built between 1553 and 1555 by Sinan the Architect on behalf of Sinan Paşa, brother of the great vizier of the time who was a great admiral in the Ottoman fleet. The mosque's courtyard is bordered by a peristyle supported by 22 columns and covered with tiles. As the porticoed courtyard was only reserved for imperial mosques, the arrangement of a medersa in front of the mosque was a means of diverting this prohibition. The interior ornaments of the mosque are made of fine carving.

Built by Master Sinan in 1580 on behalf of Kılıç Ali Paşa, the complex (külliye) initially included a mosque, a medersa (school), a hammam, a mausoleum and a public fountain distributed in a square space according to a precise geometric arrangement. Its architectural style has many similarities with Saint Sophia. Flanked by two half-domes, the central dome and the four buttresses on the sides are indeed a replica.

Set of buildings (külliye) composed of a mosque, a medersa, a fountain and a mausoleum, built in 1580 by Sinan the Architect on behalf of Şemsi Paşa. The mosque is built according to a square plan and its main space is topped by a dome and a minaret with a single circular balcony. The mausoleum, with its rectangular appearance, has vaulted ceilings. The large classroom is located between the rooms and this medersa now serves as a library.

At one end of Avlabari square, the church Sourp Baghdjian of Etchmiazine, the only Armenian church in Tbilisi, alongside the cathedral Sourp Baghdjian de Méïdan, to be still in office. At the time of writing, it is being renovated - the neighbourhood has been fouet the earthquake of 2002.

The cult of Cybele came from the East and was introduced to Rome in 200 BC. Considered the mother of the gods or the great goddess, she was the goddess of fertility and her symbol was the betyl, a black stone with a phallic shape. The construction of this temple began in 204 and was completed in 191 BC. It was damaged several times in the course of history, notably during two devastating fires: in 111 BC and in year 3 of our era. Augustus had it restored.

Those who prefer to discover the small traditional buildings, can visit this charming mosque. It was built in 1778, in memory of Abdülhamid I's mother (1774-1789), Sultan Rabia. Mehmet Tahir Ağa, the first architect of Sultan Mustafa III (1757-1773), was the designer. We find his particular touch, the baroque, a style adopted at the beginning of the century. With its 55 windows and unique dome, it contains Turkish and European earthenware.

You can only be struck by the grace and elegance of this mosque, which is unlike any other. Combining baroque and neoclassical styles, it has the particularity of having the finest minarets in the world! On the side, the clock of the Dolmabahçe Palace perfectly complements the softness of the landscape. Another marriage between the West and the East, its architect is Garabed Balyan, appointed by Sultana Mother Bezmi Alem, who built the building in the mid-19th century.

With its coloured roof and bulbs, it is not mistaken, it is a Russian church! This beautiful building, where the office is said in Georgian and Russian, is a good point to orient itself in the neighbourhood. 

Literally "Underground Mosque", this unique building bears its name well: it has occupied the old cellars of Galata Castle since the mid-18th century and is therefore... underground! With its 54 pillars and labyrinthine corridors, it exudes a unique mysticism. At its location was a Byzantine fortress that was part of Constantinople's defence system. The famous chain that blocked the entrance to the Golden Horn started from this point.

Built in 1427 by Jews from Macedonia, this synagogue is the oldest, but also one of the largest in Istanbul. Still in use, it is the only synagogue founded during the Byzantine period. It takes its name from the city of Ohri in Macedonia, where this Jewish community came from in Byzantine times. The synagogue is known for its boat-shaped reading platform, called Tevah. She only admires herself from the outside.

It is composed of a mosque, a medersa, an elementary school, a hammam, a mausoleum and shops. A real masterpiece! Once again, Sinan surpassed himself by building this complex (1560-1565) for Soliman's daughter, Princess Mihrimah, who died in 1558 and was buried in Süleymaniye. Mihrimah is an aerial building of exemplary simplicity. Considered as Sinan's "original experimentation", the central space of the mosque has been enlarged here and the half-dome, which usually supported the large dome with its north wing, has been removed, which rests, through pendants, on four pillars of blue and pink granite. If, seen from the outside, the mosque looks like a cube topped by a dome that no visible counter-butt comes to consolidate, the interior reserves the most beautiful surprises. Exceptionally bright, the mosque evokes the most beautiful cathedrals in the West. Four practically translucent eardrums, each pierced with 15 windows and 4 ox's eyes, light flows into an almost transparent space. The fountain of ablutions with sixteen columns and square and massive capitals is characteristic of the 16th century. The minaret was replaced in the 19th century by a baroque one. The double hammam, built on a cruciform plane, has canopies and angular cells. The large dome in the middle is supported by half domes. A fountain was added to the complex in 1778.

Built from 1906 to 1912, the church was built according to the plans of the architect Guilio Mongeri. A place of worship of the largest Catholic community, it is one of the largest churches in the city. Made of red bricks, it is typical of Italian neo-Gothic architecture. The offices are in several languages. The apartments that are part of the complex are also the work of the same architect and house members of the Catholic community.