Khiva Mohammed Rakhim Khan Medrassa

Visit Guide to Khiva Mohammed Rakhim Khan Medrassa

Madrasah of Muhammad Rahim Khan II (Uzbek Muhammad Rahimxon II madrasasi) is an architectural monument, a building of madrasah in the historical center of Khiva (Uzbekistan), erected in 1871 at the expense and by order of the Uzbek ruler Muhammad Rahim Khan II. Located opposite the gates of the Kunya-Ark citadel.

Getting There

Located in the center of Ichan-Kala, All types of transport are available to get to Khiva, Ichan-Kala. The International Airport is located in Urgench. From Urgench to Khiva 30 km. There are buses, trolleybus, minibuses and taxis.

What to Expect

One of the most famous and largest madrasahs in Khiva is the Muhammad Rahim Khan madrasah. It was erected in 1876 in front of the Kunya-Ark fortress by order of Muhammad Rahim Khan, who was known among the people as an enlightened monarch and the patron saint of scientists and poets.

As Muhammad Rahim Khan patronized science, the madrasah had classrooms, an extensive and rich library, as well as winter and summer mosques. The four-hawn courtyard consisted of 70 hujras. A distinctive feature of the hujras of the Muhammad Rahim Khan madrasah is that in addition to the living room, a small room was provided in the hujras, which was used for household needs.

History

In Khiva, the former capital of Khorezm, more than two dozen madrasahs have survived, but many more were built.

The founder of the madrasah, Muhammad Rahim Khan II, was an enlightened ruler. He wrote poetry under the pseudonym Firuz, made a great contribution to the development of education and culture in Khorezm in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Kamil Khorezmi and other poets dedicated several poetic chronograms to the date of the construction of the madrasah and the palace of this ruler.