Memorial Complex of Imam al-Bukhari
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| Memorial Complex of Imam al-Bukhari | |
|---|---|
 The cenotaph of Muhammad al-Bukhari within the religious complex. | |
 Interactive map of Memorial Complex of Imam al-Bukhari | |
| Type | Islamic religious complex consisting of a mosque, cenotaph and library. |
| Location | Samarkand, Uzbekistan |
| Coordinates | 39°48′54″N 66°56′40″E / 39.8149986°N 66.9444850°E |
| Built | 1998 |
| Architectural styles | Mix of modern styles and traditional Uzbek architecture |
The Memorial Complex of Imam al-Bukhari (Uzbek: Imom al-Buxoriy yodgorlik majmuasi; Arabic: قبر الامام البخاري) is an Islamic religious complex located in the district of Xo'ja Ismoil in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It mainly consists of a mosque and a memorial to Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, the compiler of Sahih al-Bukhari, one of the canonical Hadith compilations in Sunni Islam. It is a relatively modern complex, built in the 20th-century over the ruins of a 16th-century mosque.
Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, compiler of the Sahih al-Bukhari, died in 870 and was buried in a cemetery in a village named Hartang near Samarkand.[1] In the 16th century, the Shaybanids built a mosque and library near his grave as a memorial to the deceased scholar. During the Soviet occupation of Uzbekistan, the mosque was abandoned and left in a state of ruin.[2] When the first President of Indonesia, Sukarno, visited the ruined mosque in 1961, he made a request to Nikita Khrushchev to rebuild the mosque and reopen it for both the public and visitors from abroad.[3][4] Sukarno's request was granted and a new mosque and cenotaph were built at the site from 1997 to 1998.[2][3][4]
In 2025, the religious complex was extensively renovated, while the mosque was completely rebuilt in order to accommodate more worshippers.[5] All were reopened in the Islamic month of Ramadan in 2026.[6][7]
Architecture
The Memorial Complex of Imam al-Bukhari is built in a modernized architectural style while retaining classical Uzbek elements. The main buildings of the complex, which consist of a mosque, library, museum, and cenotaph, all skewer off the street parallel in the direction of Mecca.[2][6][8]
The present mosque, built in 2025, can accommodate more than 12,000 worshippers.[6][8] Made of marble, it has a square base, with a large dome topping the main prayer hall, followed by four smaller cupolas surrounding it on a lower level. Four minarets surround the mosque and the ancillary buildings that are attached to it.[6][8]
The cenotaph of Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari is a cuboid structure, topped by a ribbed dome. Each wall has an iwan leading into the structure.[9][10] Steel grilles fill up the empty spaces in the iwans that are not in use. The tombstone of the scholar, a rectangular sanduga, is mounted in the centre.[9][10] It is not the real grave of Ibn Ismail, who wished to be buried in a modest and flat grave.[11] He is instead interred in a crypt near the mosque, where the cloth-wrapped sarcophagus of the scholar can be found.[9]
Other ancillary establishments next to the complex include a cemetery, park, toilets, hotel, tourist centre, as well as a madrasa.[6][8]
