Barak-Khan Madrasah

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Barak-khan Madrasah

XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran
XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran

The Barak-Khan Madrasah was constructed in the 16th century by Suyunidzh-khan, a descendant of the famed astronomer Ulugbek. This madrasah has served as a cornerstone of spiritual and educational life in Central Asia.

The madrasah is renowned not only for its role as the former headquarters of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Central Asia but also for housing an invaluable collection of oriental manuscripts. Among these treasures is the world-famous Osman Koran, a primary source of the Islamic holy book, penned in the mid-7th century. This monumental manuscript, comprising 353 parchment pages, has journeyed through time and empires, safeguarded within the treasuries of caliphs in Medina, Damascus, and Baghdad, before making its way to Uzbekistan.

The Osman Koran is shrouded in legend, believed to bear the bloodstains of Caliph Osman himself, who was martyred while reading it. Since then, it has been revered as a sacred relic, preserved by successive caliphs and becoming a symbol of the unbroken chain of Islamic tradition. Despite the emergence of various religious movements and sects within the caliphate, none could challenge the authority of this text, not even those who questioned parts of the scripture.

The fate of many such manuscripts remains a mystery, particularly after the Mongol invasion led by Hulagu Khan in 1258, which saw the fall of Baghdad and the execution of Caliph al-Mustasim. However, by the 15th century, the blood-stained Koran resurfaced in Samarkand. Initially kept at the court of Mirzo Ulugbek, it was later moved to the mosque of Sheikh Khodja Akhrar, a native of Tashkent.

XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran
XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran
XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran
XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran
XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran
XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran
XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran
XVI century Barakh-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Depository of the Ottoman Koran

The Russian Empire’s annexation of Samarkand in 1868 marked a turning point for the Osman Koran. Major-General Abramov, upon learning of this unique manuscript, secured its transfer from the mosque, compensating the caretakers with 100 gold rubles. The Koran was then sent to Tashkent and eventually donated to the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg by Governor-General Konstantin von Kaufman.

Russian scholars, addressing doubts about the authenticity of the Osman Koran, concluded that it could indeed date back to the 7th or 8th century, possibly originating from the territory of modern Iran.

In a remarkable turn of events, the Territorial Muslim Congress of Petrograd’s national district requested the return of this sacred relic in December 1917. Just five days later, they received a resolution signed by Lunacharsky, the People’s Commissioner of Education, facilitating the transfer of the Koran to the All-Russian Muslim Council in Ufa. From there, in 1924, it was brought back to Tashkent and then to Samarkand’s Khodja Akhrar Mosque. In 1941, during the tumult of World War II, the relic was placed in the History Museum of the Peoples of Uzbekistan for safekeeping. Following Uzbekistan’s declaration of sovereignty in the early 1990s, President Islam Karimov entrusted the Koran to the Mufti on Khast Imam Square.

The journey of the Osman Koran to Movarounnahr remains enigmatic. The prevailing theory suggests that Amir Timur acquired the relic during his conquests, intending to enrich his library of manuscripts in Samarkand. Another legend, rooted in the Sufi order Nakshbandia, tells of a dervish securing the Koran during the Mongol invasions. Yet, a more popular local tale credits Kaffal Shashi, revered as Tashkent’s first patron, with bringing the Koran from Baghdad, a gift from the caliph in recognition of Kaffal Shashi’s poetic prowess.