THE STONE LECTERN LOCATED IN THE COURTYARD OF THE BIBI KHANUM COMPLEX IN SAMARKAND

Summary. The lectern, on which books are read and drawing or writing studies are carried out, is among the significant utilitarian objects, designed either as a foldable stand or in the form of a small table. The emergence of the lectern gained functionality with the compilation of the verses that constitute the Qur’an, their collection into a book, and subsequent reproduction. Among the lecterns that feature highly elaborate and diverse ornamentations, one example from the fifteenth century was produced in a completely different style and dimensions. During the Timurid era, a large number of palaces, pavilions, mosques, mausoleum complexes, madrasas, and similar structures were built in Samarkand. Particularly significant religious and scholarly structures of the Timurid period include Shah-i Zinda, the Bib-i Khanum Mosque (Samarkand Mosque), the Gur-i Amir complex and mausoleum, the Samarkand observatory, and the Ulugh Beg Madrasa. Within this architectural ensemble, the Bib-i Khanum Complex occupies a distinct place. Situated in its courtyard, the monumental stone lectern is an outstanding work that left a remarkable imprint on its time. The courtyard, paved with large stones, encompasses a spacious garden. The lectern under study is located in this courtyard, positioned upon nine cubic prism-shaped stone supports, measuring 2.30 x 2 meters. This lectern is the largest and the only known example of a lectern made of stone. An inscriptional frieze running along its border states that the lectern was constructed by the Timurid ruler Ulugh Beg (1447–1449) for the purpose of placing upon it the Mushaf al-Sharif. The Mushaf al-Sharif is regarded as the Qur’an read by Caliph ʿUthmān (Hz. Osman) at the time of his martyrdom in Medina. This Qur’an, inscribed on gazelle skin at his behest, is considered one of the oldest Qur’ans in existence. It is known that Timur had it brought from Damascus, and that subsequently, in the courtyard of the Bib-i Khanum Complex, Ulugh Beg had this monumental stone lectern constructed to house it for a time. From the perspective of stone craftsmanship, the lectern displays characteristics equivalent to other Timurid works, while simultaneously embodying symbolic ornamentation and, through its colossal dimensions, reflecting the power of sovereignty. Thus, it occupies a unique place within the history of art.