Shergazi-Khan Madrasah

The Shergazi-Khan Madrasah, an intriguing monument from the 18th century, stands as one of the oldest buildings in the ancient walled town of Ichan-Kala, located in the heart of modern Khiva. This site is steeped in a history of power, rebellion, and murder.

Shergazi Khan, born in Bukhara, was a well-educated individual who studied in a madrasa. After the death of Yadigar Khan in 1714, Shergazi Khan ascended the throne and became the ruler of the Khiva Khanate. He is considered the last powerful and influential ruler in Khiva’s history. In 1717, Shergazi Khan used strategic military tactics to defeat the first Russian Army expedition into Central Asia. Surviving soldiers were captured and enslaved, a fate that also befell soldiers from Khorasan, Mashhad, and Merv, whom Shergazi Khan’s army captured the following year.

Construction of the Shergazi Khan Madrasah began in 1719, with the site opposite Pahlavan Makmud’s mausoleum chosen as the ideal location. The slaves who built the madrasa were promised freedom upon completion of the work. However, as construction neared its end about a year later, Shergazi Khan began inventing new tasks to delay the project. These delays lasted for several years. According to legend, the slaves, angered by Shergazi Khan’s broken promises, killed him during an inspection. While there are discrepancies in the tale, it is known that Shergazi Khan was indeed killed by slaves in the madrasa in 1728 and buried in the mausoleum to its right. The madrasa was completed in 1726, two years before his death. The fate of the slaves remains unknown, but in 1740, Persian ruler Nadir Shah seized Khiva and freed Russian prisoners of war, likely including all the slaves from Khorasan.