How to build a capital, and how to preserve it? Architectural heritage in Bukhara (16th century and later) by Prof. Lorenz Korn The city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan is world famous for its architectural heritage. Mosques, Madrasas and other religious buildings, but also commercial structures and residential quarters of the past have been preserved in a unique ensemble. A decisive formative phase of this complex heritage can be seen in the 16th century, when Bukhara played a major part as seat of dynastic rulers. While single monuments like the Great Mosque with its famous minaret, the Madrasa of Mir-i Arab and others can be considered icons of the architectural history of Central Asia, they are at the same time embedded in an urban fabric of a particular character. Many of the private houses have retained their traditional shape and, partly, their historical substance. The lecture aims at identifying architectural traditions and concepts of urbanism that contributed to the re-shaping of Bukhara as a capital during the 16th century. Some results from recent research that a group of German scholars has conducted in Bukhara will be presented in this context. Further, it will be asked how the historical city of Bukhara fared after the Soviet takeover in 1920, under the conditions of modern urban planning, and under the label of UNESCO world heritage. Prof. Dr. Lorenz Korn Lorenz Korn is professor of Islamic art and archaeology at the University of Bamberg (Germany). He received his PhD from the University of Tübingen, with a thesis on building politics under the dynasty of the Ayyubids in Egypt and Syria (12th-13th cent.). His research focuses on the history of architecture of the central Islamic lands between the 10th and the 16th century. Besides, he has worked on minor arts such as metalwork, and on Arabic epigraphy. The group of researchers that has been active in Bukhara included architectural historians, heritage conservationists and historians from Bamberg, Munich and Vienna, in cooperation with Uzbek colleagues and authorities. During the years 2008-2012, this group examined the Mosque of Khoja Zainuddin and the surrounding quarter. The detailed documentation of the mosque yielded many surprises, which require explanations from the context of architectural history of the 16th century. Looking at the residential quarter around, the experience of contrasting forces of tradition and recent change left none of the team unaffected.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 05:51:08 +0000
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