Khiva - Musa Tura Madrasa

The Musa Tura Madrasa is located in the centre of Ichan Qala in Khiva, next to the Yusuf Yasaulboshi Madrasa. The Madrasa was built in 1841 with instructions from Musa Tura, the son of Rahmankuli Inak, the grandson of Muhammad Rahim Khan I and nephew of Allahkuli Khan.

The word Tura was added to the names of the descendants of the Khan dynasty. In 1855, Musa Tura was killed in battle with Turkmen Yomuds and buried in Khiva, in his Madrasa. The madrasa has a trapezoidal shape when seen from above. It has two courtyards, a two-domed vestibule, hujshras, mosque and darskhona.

The building has been restored and is now used as a handicraft shop.

According to ancient legend, the city of Khiva was built around a well dug by one of the descendants of the biblical Noah. According to legend, the water in this well was particularly pure and delicious. It still stands in the city and is one of the monuments of antiquity. Khiva was founded more than 2.5 centuries ago, after which it became one of the richest and most prosperous settlements of Khorezm. At the beginning of its development, the city was succeeded by various ruling dynasties, it was repeatedly conquered by warlike tribes, and at the beginning of the XIII century the troops of Genghis Khan destroyed almost the entire city.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, the city became the centre of the Khiva Khanate and the second period of development and prosperity, one of the most important and largest centres of Islam in the Orient. The city is rich in magnificent monuments, among which one can discover both secular and religious buildings.