Khiva - Matpanabay Madrasah

The Matpanabay Madrasah (1905) is located north of the Juma Mosque in Khiva. This madrasah was built by one of the rich merchants of the Matpanabay Madrasah Khanate in 1905.

The construction of the Matpanabay Madrasah was carried out by the best craftsmen of Khiva, Khudaybergen Hodji and Kalandar Kochum. The portal of the madrasa faces east and there is a corridor on the south side for access to the madrasa. Viewed from above, the madrasa appears symmetrical along its central east-west axis, with one detail: a room in the northwest corner is missing.

The main façade has a small portal and an indistinct relief dividing the arcade into niches. The madrasa has more than ten hujrasas for the students, a darskhona and a domed mosque in the south. The descendants of Matpanabay live in the city of Tashauz, in Turkmenistan.

In 2001, the exposition of the museum of the history of “Avesta” was opened in the rooms of the madrasa, dedicated to the 2700th anniversary of the creation of this famous book of the ancient Khorezmians. “Avesta” is not only an invaluable historical work that recorded the religious views and concepts of our ancestors, but also a unique historical source, at the same time it is revered by the world scientific community as an invaluable historical heritage.

In view of this, the international organisation UNESCO decided at its 30th session in Paris in November 1999 to celebrate the 2700th anniversary of Avesta in a big way.

The anniversary celebrations took place in the homeland of Avesta in Uzbekistan, more precisely in Khorezm. Visiting the museum “Avesta” you will get a lot of information about the oldest history, way of life, rites and customs, spiritual culture, science and other areas concerning the life of the peoples of Central Asia and the Orient in general.