MADRASAH TAMGACH BUGRA İBRAHİM KHAN I IN PERIOD OF THE KARAKHANIDS IN SAMARKAND
The madrasahs, which have left their evidences in the physical, social and architectural structures of the Islamic countries in their social and cultural contexts, have lived for centuries. The emergence, the transformation process of institutional structure, the role of Turkish and Islamic world in educational and cultural life, the development process of madrasah buildings in the history of architecture have been the subject of many scientific researches. In some of these publications, the concept that information obtained from historical sources is supported by the idea that the first madrasa buildings started to be constructed by the Ghaznavids and later developed and institutionalized with the efforts of famous vizier Nizam Ul-Mulk, especially during the times of the Great Seljuks spread to the whole Islamic world. The material facts concerning the architecture of the Ghaznavids madrasahs are not considered enough. As primary examples of madrasahs in terms of their architectural features that belong to the Great Seljuks - madrasahs in Horasan and Rey during the Melikshah period. The historical sources of the Karakhanids madrasahs, that have an important place in this evolution, the studies of the importance of further functions, the issues of education, history and culture have become the subject of scientific researches. There is very little information about the structural features of madrasahs of the period of the Karakhanids and the area of the madrasahs’ architecture on the development line. In this article, a madrasah of the Karakhanids with four open yard courts, built in 1066 by Tamgach Bugra İbrahim Han I in Samarkand, whose plan and features were clarified with archaeological excavations carried out in 1969-1972, was taken up. The characteristics of the madrasah in terms of its architecture, art history and its importance in Turkish madrasah architecture have been clarified.