Ensemble Hazrat Imam, building complex in Toshkent, Uzbekistan

Ensemble Hazrat Imam is a building complex in the old part of Toshkent, Uzbekistan, where a large mosque, a madrasa, a library, and a tomb stand around an open square. Walking through, you see brick walls, blue tiled domes, carved wooden pillars, and narrow lanes lined with small shops and mud-brick houses.

The site grew around the grave of Kaffal ash-Shashi, a scholar buried outside the city walls about a thousand years ago. In the 1500s, a madrasa and other structures were added, and later centuries brought rebuilding, damage, and restorations that shaped the group of buildings seen today.

In the square, the former Barak-Khan Madrasa now serves as a craft market where traders sell ceramics, textiles, and copperware in stalls that follow the old rhythm of bargaining and exchange. Nearby, local men and women pause to pray, greet neighbors, or sit on benches while children move between the courtyards.

Wear comfortable shoes because the site includes wide courtyards, uneven stone paths, and steps leading into several buildings. Early morning or late afternoon gives softer light and fewer crowds, and the main entrances are visible from the main square.

Inside the Muyi Muborak library, a hair believed to have belonged to the Prophet Muhammad is kept as a relic, drawing quiet visitors who want to see it through the glass. The same room displays an ancient Quran written on deerskin, stained with what tradition says is the blood of Caliph Uthman.