The Bibi Khanym Mosque is located in the historic center of Samarkand, near the Siab Bazaar and Registan Square. Its construction began in 1399, shortly after Amir Timur returned from his military campaign in India.

The circumstances of its construction remain unclear. According to one version, Amir Timur commissioned the construction and supervised the project himself. It was a grand undertaking designed to emphasize the power of his state and the grandeur of Samarkand.

According to another version, the mosque was commissioned by Amir Timur's eldest wife, Saray-Mulk Khanym. She wanted to surprise her husband with a mosque of unprecedented size upon his return from India. The mosque's name is also associated with her, as Bibi Khanym can be translated as "eldest lady."

Hundreds of craftsmen from Iran, India, Khorezm, and other regions worked on the mosque. The main part of the complex was completed by 1404. After his return to Samarkand, Timur inspected the mosque but was disappointed with the main entrance portal. He ordered to dismantle it and build an even more grandiose structure.

The Architectural Giant of Samarkand

The ambition to make the mosque as tall and majestic as possible was one of the reasons for its later structural problems. For its time, Bibi Khanym was a structure of almost unimaginable scale.

The main entrance was adorned with a monumental portal standing at 35 meters (115 ft). The main mosque building was crowned by a huge dome and flanked by two symmetrical domed portals.

Today, the scale of Bibi Khanym still makes a strong impression. It’s an architectural monument built not simply for worship, but to embody the power and ambitions of the empire.

From Grandeur to Ruin

The mosque's scale was both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Bibi Khanym was built in an unusually short time, and enormous dimensions of its structures pushed medieval construction techniques to their limits. Even during Amir Timur's lifetime, bricks began to fall from the gigantic dome.

Over the following centuries, the mosque gradually deteriorated. Local residents dismantled parts of it for building materials, and frequent earthquakes further damaged the already unstable structure.

In 1897, an earthquake caused a large part of the mosque to collapse. By the early 20th century, Bibi Khanym had become a picturesque ruin.

Restoration of Bibi Khanym

Restoration of the mosque began in the 1970s. In the following decades, the domes, portals, facades, and decorative details were reconstructed. The work continued after Uzbekistan gained independence and is still ongoing.

The Bibi Khanym we see today is a combination of surviving historical fragments and extensive restoration. Nevertheless, its monumental architecture gives visitors a vivid impression of the grandeur of the original complex.

Other tourist attractions near the mosque:

• Siab Bazaar
• Bibi Khanym Mausoleum
• Khazret-Khizr Mosque
• Abdullah Rudaki Park
• Registan
• Park of the Greatness of Samarkand