Islam Khodja Madrasa, madrasah in Khiva, Uzbekistan
Islam Khodja Madrasa is a two-story brick building in the center of Khiva's old city, constructed between 1908 and 1910. The complex contains forty-two small rooms surrounding a courtyard, a mosque on one side of the entrance, and an attached tower that rises over 56 meters high with a base wider than 9 meters.
The building was erected from 1908 to 1910 by a team of architects and craftsmen led by Khudoibergan Haji and painters including Eshmuhammad Khudoiberdiyev. Islam Khodja was a prominent advisor to Ruler Isfandiar Khan who provided land and wealth to fund the project.
The name Islam Khodja refers to an influential advisor who funded the construction with his own resources and land. The complex now serves as a museum of applied arts, displaying wooden sculptures, metalwork, and carpets that reflect the region's craft traditions.
The complex is located in Itchan Kala, the historic center of Khiva, and is easily reached on foot from the city's main gate. The tower stairs are open to visitors and offer panoramic views over the city, while narrow paved streets surround the site and connect it to other historic buildings nearby.
The attached tower is decorated with bands of glazed tiles in blue and white alternating with ochre-colored bricks, showing remarkable precision in ceramic work. This decorative approach transformed the tower into an artistic statement rather than just a functional structure.
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