Kukeldash Madrasa

About this attraction

Kukeldash Madrasa is one of Tashkent's oldest surviving religious buildings, on a rise at the edge of the old city beside Chorsu Bazaar. Sources date it to around 1570 under the Shaybanids and credit either the vizier Kukeldash or Dervish Sultan, so the patron is not settled. Over the centuries it served as a caravanserai and a fortress, was damaged by earthquakes, and was rebuilt in 1902-1903 and again in the 1950s.

It came through the 1966 Tashkent earthquake and has been a working madrasa again since the 1990s, with students studying inside. From outside you see a square yellow-brick building with a tall portal flanked by towers and a courtyard lined with student cells. It pairs naturally with a walk through Chorsu Bazaar and the old town.

Where to pray

It is a working religious school, so respect for students matters. Visitors usually dress modestly and check at the entrance what is open to guests.

Must see

The high tiled portal with its two towers, and the courtyard and cells. The old-city setting near Chorsu Bazaar is part of the appeal.

Location

Next to Chorsu Bazaar, old city, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Nearby

Within 5 km, nearest first.