The Bibi-Khanym Mosque is not far from Registan Square. This was once one of the Islamic world’s biggest mosques with the cupola on the main mosque being 135 feet tall and 59 feet in diameter. The mosque was built between 1399 and 1404 but also had additional work done at later times. The mosque was built by Tamerlane’s “senior wife” to please her husband. It was financed from the spoils of Tamerlane’s invasion of India. There is a legend that Bibi-Khanym, Tamerlane’s Chinese wife, ordered the mosque built as a surprise. But the architect fell madly in love with her and refused to finish the job unless she gave him a kiss. Tamerlane found out and ordered her thrown off the minaret. But she put on every dress she owned and was so cushioned by all the dresses that she survived the fall, at which time Tamerlane spared her life.

The mosque holds 10,000 to 12,000 people. Much of the original mosque was destroyed in an 1897 earthquake. It was not until 1974 that the rebuilding started under the Russians and it was not finished until recently. I believe that it has been fully restored to its original size, though parts within it have not been restored yet.

The first photo was taken outside the mosque on our walk there but I think it was the best photo of the mosque that I got, because I wasn’t too close at that point.

The mosque entrance is in the second photo. It’s very large and if you look, it looks like it still needs more restoration work.

Once inside, there is a very large courtyard (3rd photo). I think it is longer and much wider than a football field. Besides the main mosque, there are two smaller mosques on either side of the courtyard.

Some of the interiors are very nice and quite intricate as you can see in the fourth photo.

Inside one room there was a museum or historical section. I photographed a photo which you can see in the last photo. This is to give you an idea of what was left after the 1897 earthquake. Most of the beautiful buildings that we saw on this trip had been destroyed by invaders or earthquakes or both. So most of what can be seen today is restorations. But they use photos and fragments and try to replicate what was there originally.