Gaukushan Madrasa
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    The ensemble of the Khodja Kalon mosque and the Gaukushon medrese.16th-19th centuries.Continuing west on former Ulitsa Lenina you come to another pleasant green square, though this one used to be unpleasant and red; the Gaukushan madrasa (1570) is on the site of an earlier open-air abbattoir (gau=cow, ku=kill). This 16th - century classic, built under the auspices of the great Abdullah Khan, is nevertheless overshadowed by Poi-Kalyan and Lyab-i-Khauz (see below) and has been given over to engravers of copper plates to attract its share of tourists. The plates  are dipped in acid to give them a black coating which is then etched, artistically, off again. A Friday mosque was added to the madrasa in 1598. There is an old foundry across the square. 
     

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Last updated 14.08.99 16:20 This site created by MasterWD