Mausoleum of Shah-Fazil
Safid-Bulan. Analyzing the architecture of the Kokand period, the renowned German art historian B. Brentees notes that “the structures of that time followed traditional forms, however, the internal architecture was strongly influenced by local craft traditions.” This is even more true for Kyrgyz traditional mausoleums, mosques, and madrasas in Kyrgyzstan. Such monuments of cult architecture, like mosques and madrasas, were prevalent only in the south of Kyrgyzstan and were completely absent in the northern regions, including Central Tian Shan. According to the earliest statistical data, in the Osh district alone, after the fall of the Kokand Khanate, there were 147 mosques and 6 madrasas.
They represented typical cult structures for all of Central Asia, adhering to the canons of traditional Muslim architecture. The building materials used were burnt and unburnt bricks, adobe, guvalak, pakhsa, and wood. Mosques and madrasas featured ivans adjacent to winter rooms. They were decorated with colorful floral and geometric patterns, carvings on ganch and wood, and brightly painted ceilings. Particularly striking is the assembled wooden ceiling of the 18th-19th century mosque in Safid-Bulan, crafted with great skill, which is of interest not only from a technical but also from an artistic perspective.
Even in the late 19th to early 20th century, as in the distant Middle Ages, various services related to the organization of religious festivities, sacrifices, and pilgrimages of Muslims from the surrounding areas were held in Safid-Bulan near the mazar and the mosque. In the past, the population of Safid-Bulan consisted exclusively of sheikhs, who maintained their caste status until the early 20th century and were previously exempt from various taxes and contributions to the state treasury. During a visit to the medieval mausoleum of Shah-Fazil and the adjacent mosque in the summer, a group of archaeologists witnessed extensive restoration work taking place here. The aforementioned mosque is also being restored as a monument of architectural heritage from past times.
