View of Arches and Mosaics

1905
The Astrakhanid dynasty in Bukhara during the 17th century was adept at organizing urban space. The Liabi-Khauz complex is a fine example. It was a trading area with a square reservoir that provided water and served as a reflecting pool for three adjacent religious buildings. Among them is the madrasah (religious school) built in 1622–23 by Nadir Divan-begi, a vizier (high official) and uncle of the Bukhara ruler Iman Kuli-Khan. This photograph shows a fragment of the left side of the main facade, which contains the great peshtak (entrance arch). The adobe brick walls were originally covered with polychrome ceramic tiles (severely damaged) in a variety of geometric, floral, and inscriptional patterns. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many different parts of the empire. In 1911 his travels took him to an area of Central Asia then known as Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), where he photographed many of the ancient monuments of Bukhara.

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Filename: 6449.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1698 / 532.6KB; 1905 Uzbekistan Arches Mosaics Architectural Decorations Photo WDL 010551
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1905<br />
The Astrakhanid dynasty in Bukhara during the 17th century was adept at organizing urban space. The Liabi-Khauz complex is a fine example. It was a trading area with a square reservoir that provided water and served as a reflecting pool for three adjacent religious buildings. Among them is the madrasah (religious school) built in 1622–23 by Nadir Divan-begi, a vizier (high official) and uncle of the Bukhara ruler Iman Kuli-Khan. This photograph shows a fragment of the left side of the main facade, which contains the great peshtak (entrance arch). The adobe brick walls were originally covered with polychrome ceramic tiles (severely damaged) in a variety of geometric, floral, and inscriptional patterns. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many different parts of the empire. In 1911 his travels took him to an area of Central Asia then known as Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), where he photographed many of the ancient monuments of Bukhara.