Khiva - Bogbonli Mosque

In the medieval Muslim world, the importance of a city was sometimes determined by the presence of the main, i.e. Friday, mosque in it. Special care was always taken by the city fathers to ensure the architectural and artistic perfection of its appearance. Each city tried to surpass others by the monumentality of its jom’e mosque. The Bogbonli Mosque is located in the south-eastern part of Ichan-Qala in Khiva. According to the inscription in the verses on the stone slab at the entrance, the mosque was built in 1809 (1224 hijra), the name of the master Pahlavan-kuly who designed the structure is also given here.

The door bears the name of another master wood carver, Ruz Muhammad, son of Adin Muhammad, who made the carved door to the Ziyarat-khana of Sheikh Mukhtar-Wali mausoleum in Astana village, Yangiaryk district.

According to legend, the Bogbonli Mosque in Khiva was built with the money of two garden brothers. The mosque has a rectangular shape, an aiwan with two columns and a vaulted winter room. The carved wooden columns of the aiwan are of artistic value and resemble the ornamentation of the columns of the Juma Mosque.