Juma Mosque

Juma Mosque is located in the old part of Tashkent city, in the Chorsu square. It was planning to build a fist Juma (Friday) mosque of the city at the demand of Tashkent’s vicar Yakh’ya ibn Asad in IX century. Only ruins of that mosque remained in XV century. A new building, which had a shape of cube with dome and vaulted roof oriented to the East, was built here in 1451.  The Juma mosque was erected by the order of sheik Ubaydulla Khodja Akhror (1404-1490). He was an outstanding religious leader of his epoch and Sufism expert.  Adherents of the Sufism can be met in many countries of the world.

This building has been exposed to reconstruction since XV century. These changes were caused by natural and historical phenomenon.  The main cube of the mosque was thoroughly repaired and galleries with cells along the yard were completely reconstructed. The mosque was destroyed by earthquake in 1868.  It had not been operating for some time since the damage.  But, the reconstruction took place at the expenses of Alexander III tsar in 1888. In this case the Mosque got a name “Tsar Mosque”.  The building has lost its eastern style after the reconstruction by the Europeans.  It was decided to rebuild the Mosque in 2003. Presently, three big domes crown the mosque instead of one.

Its domes are shining under the sunbeams and gladden eyes not only of Muslims but all visitors. It is one of the main Friday mosques in Tashkent. The Mosque has not only spiritual importance for Muslims of Uzbekistan but also a big historical significance.