Zangi-ota Ensemble --- Tourist Gems of Uzbekistan

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September, 2002

Zangi-ota Ensemble

About 30 km south-west of Tashkent you will find a little known but very interesting memorial dating back to the Middle Ages called the Zangi-ota Ensemble. The main feature is a tomb of a popular sheikh, a holy patron of herdsmen, called Zangi-ota. According to legend, construction of the mausoleum of Zangi-ota and his wife Ambar-bibi, was begun by Amir Temur.

Tashkent was one of the fortresses of the army of Temur where he often stopped before embarking on one of his military campaigns. In 1396 he traveled along the old Chinaz to meet his bride, Tukel-Khanim. At about this time construction of the Zangi-ota complex began. This place has been held sacred by the people ever since. It would seem that it was not by chance that healthy mineral waters were discovered in this exact spot.

The ensemble consists of three areas: a vast garden, a complex of monuments dating back to the 14th-19th centuries and the cemetery with Ambar-bibi's mausoleum. A footpath leads from the gate to the inner courtyard surrounded by a vast fruit orchard.

In the inner courtyard the elegant forms of the many-chambered Zangi-ota mausoleum can be seen. Beyond the main entrance lies the hall of prayer. The mausoleum portal impresses one with its strong lines. The clever architecture displays a simple beauty and the carved mosaics are wonderful. Preserved fragments of mosaic inscriptions can be seen on the mausoleum wings. The mosaic mikhrab and the blue panel from hexahedrons known by photographs of the 19th century, Fragments of majolica inscriptions found on the mausoleum's dome indicate that Tashkent decorators did not have to conform to the styles of their contemporaries from other centers like Samarkand, Bukhara, Shakhrisabs. In the Zangi-ota mausoleum you can also see a unique sample of stone carving. It consists of a white marble epitaph, one of the three epitaphs known to have been made at Amir Temur's indication in honour of the most eminent ecclesiastics of Central Asia. It is a historical monument abundantly covered with epigraphic carvings.

To the right of the green shady courtyard one will find one of the largest mosques built according to the traditions of regional architecture in the whole of Central Asia. An original minaret stands in front of the mosque, an example of the unique construction of its kind in Central Asia. To the right of the mosque one can just make out the white walls of Ambar-bibi's mausoleum, set back in the garden, through the braces of the trees. The elegant facade of the mausoleum has unfortunately not been preserved.

The Zangi-ota ensemble is justifiably considered to be among one of the best examples of Central Asia's flourishing architecture during the 14th and 15th centuries and is of important historical and artistic value.

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