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Magok-i-Attari Mosque
Mejor época para visitar
It is worth coming in the early afternoon, when the sun lights up the brick pattern of the southwestern facade from directly in front. In winter, almost no one comes here; in summer, the deep inner courtyard offers a cool refuge from the midday heat.
Consejos para el presupuesto
The facade with its special brick pattern can be viewed completely free of charge from the outside, and you can see most of the sights here from the outside. Its inner courtyard is usually closed to tourists, but with a ticket for the neighboring carpet museum (about 20,000 sum) they sometimes let you in.
Recomendado para
History enthusiasts, Photographers, Architecture lovers, Quiet explorers
Planifica tu visita
20-30 minutes
Acerca de
Datos rápidos: The 12th-century building was once a Zoroastrian temple, then a synagogue, before becoming a mosque. Its name means "the mosque of the pit," as its entrance lies more than 4 meters below today's street level.
Destacados: The brickwork pattern decorating the southwestern facade of the mosque is so meticulously crafted that not a single layer of mortar is visible between the 800-year-old clay bricks. Pagan fertility symbols and a huge 4-meter bovine skeleton unearthed in the 10-meter-deep excavation below the entrance testify to the building's thousands of years of sacred history.
Consejos de expertos
- Look for the 12-meter-high carved wooden columns on the facade: they have blackened over the centuries, but their decoration is still sharp today.
- To the right of the entrance, at the base of the wall, you can see ancient Sogdian carvings in a small recess.
- Do not approach from the main entrance, but start on foot from the Lyab-i Hauz pool: in the narrow alleyway, the sunken facade suddenly appears before you unexpectedly.
- From the terrace of the teahouse opposite, you can take a perfect photo of the entire mosque in the afternoon light.
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