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Magoki-Attori Mosque
The Magoki-Attori
Mosque in the city's centre is an
example of an urban mosque in a
residential quarter. The mosque was
built on the site of the pre-lslamic
Moh temple mentioned above.
Excavations have revealed the fact
that even under the Samanids there
was a six-pier mosque, which
apparently was also domed. However,
it was rebuilt substantially in the
twelfth century; the floor level was
upgraded and the main facade
received a new design that survives
with little damage only. By the
sixteenth century, the thickness of
cultural layers had increased so
much that mosque seemed to sink deep
into the soil and its facade was
unearthed only as a result of
excavations carried out in the
1930s. The facade of the mosque is
asymmetrical. To the right it has a
portal with a recessed vault,
fringed with rectangular strips; the
architectural decor is composed of
covered bricks which form geometric
shapes and tiles of carved
terra-cotta bearing vegetation
patterns. Carved terracotta is also
used in decorating the pylons and
the vaults of the arches, combined
with vegetation patterns with
inscriptions covered with blue
glaze. All in all, the Magoki-Attori
Mosque is an excellent example of
Central Asian architecture during
the Kara-khanid epoch.
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