Ensembles2 km away
Abdi Berun Ensemble
A 17th-century memorial complex with a pool and domed khanaka over the grave of the judge Khoja Abdi, outside Samarkand's old southern wall.
Khoja Ahrar Complex
The shrine of the 15th-century Sufi leader Khoja Ahrar on Samarkand's southern edge, with a madrasa and mosque built in the 1630s.
Ensembles15th century; 1630sAbout 45 minutes to see
About the place
Khoja Ahrar, born Nasir ad-Din Ubaydallah, led the Naqshbandi order and was one of the most powerful men in Samarkand in the late 15th century. He founded a khanqah here and was buried behind it when he died in the 1490s; his grave is among the most visited shrines in Central Asia. In the 1630s Nodir Devonbegi, vizier of Imam Quli Khan, added a madrasa and a mosque with winter and summer halls.
The madrasa follows the plan of the Sher-Dor madrasa on the Registan, with four iwans around a courtyard and a turquoise dome. The Uthman Quran was once kept here until Russian troops took it to St Petersburg after 1868. Neglected in Soviet times, the complex was fully restored in the early 21st century.
Why go
- Grave of one of Central Asia's most revered Sufi masters
- A madrasa modelled on the Sher-Dor
- Former home of the Uthman Quran
Sources (5)
Nearby
- Ensembles
Ensembles2 km awayUNESCO World Heritage
Namazgoh Mosque, Samarkand
A 17th-century festival mosque on what was then the edge of Samarkand, paid for by the patron Nadir Divanbegi.
- © OpenStreetMapAttractions
3 km away
Youth Creative Park, Samarkand
Park of 5.4 ha opened in March 2026 on the site of a former military hospital in Samarkand, with five listed historic buildings, a library, sports courts and cafés.
Museums3 km away
Orif Gulkhani House Museum
The Samarkand home of the poet Orif Gulkhani (born 1879), a museum since 1993 with his manuscripts, books and household things, and a garden.
