Bibi-Khanym Mosque

Amir Temur's giant mosque

Bibi-Khanym is the giant mosque Amir Temur built after his victorious campaign in India: its dome is 40 metres high, its gateway 35 metres! Ninety-five elephants hauled the stone, and it took 5 years. Legend says the mosque was built by Temur's favourite wife, Bibi-Khanym. In the courtyard stands a huge marble Quran stand. The mosque was so big that nothing like it had been built for a thousand years.

The Bibi-Khanym Friday mosque (1399–1404) was Amir Temur's largest building, begun after his Indian campaign; a courtyard of 167 × 109 m for 10,000 worshippers; the main dome is 40 m and the portal 35 m (the largest in the Islamic world); 4 minarets and 400 marble columns. Named after Temur's senior wife Saray Mulk Khanum (her mausoleum stands opposite). Glazed tiles, mosaic, carved marble; Clavijo (1404) watched the construction, with the ailing Temur arriving on a litter to hurry the work. The over-tall dome, built in haste, cracked — it crumbled over centuries, and the 1897 earthquake finished it. Restored in 1974–2003. In the courtyard is the marble lauh (a 2.3 m Quran stand) placed by Ulugh Beg for the Uthman Quran. Legend tells of an architect who fell in love with Bibi-Khanym… UNESCO since 2001 (Samarkand).

Fun facts

• Ninety-five elephants hauled stone for the mosque.
• Its 35 m portal — like a 12-storey building — is the tallest in the Islamic world.
• The 2.3 m marble Quran stand in the courtyard was made for the world's largest Quran.