Friday mosque · Samarkand City

Obi Rahmat Mosque

Type

Friday mosque

District

Samarkand City

Built

1992–1995

A Friday mosque between Afrasiyab, Ulugh Beg's Observatory and Chupan-Ata hill, built by volunteers in 1992–95. A new hall for over 2,000 worshippers was begun in 2021.

45a Obirahmat St, Samarkand

History

The mosque was a neighbourhood initiative: its foundations were laid in 1992 and the building rose through volunteer labour until 1995. It stands where three mahallas meet, and their residents did most of the work.

The congregation named it after the Obi Rahmat ('water of mercy') canal, which in Timur's day supplied drinking water to the gardens and villages of Galaosiyo, Bogi Maydon, Bogi Baland and Moturid. The Obi Rahmat runs just above the mosque and the Siab canal below it, and a 30-are orchard in the courtyard recalls the Bogi Maydon garden.

The new building

As of 2016 the mosque had two prayer halls wrapped by an iwan on three sides, a 12-metre minaret and a modern ablution block. Demolition of the old buildings began on 15 May 2021 to make way for a new Friday mosque blending national and modern styles; it is designed for more than 2,000 worshippers under a dome 8 metres across.

Official list: Listed by the Samarkand branch of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan (sammuslim.uz).

Visiting a mosque: cover shoulders and knees (women should wear a headscarf) and take your shoes off at the door; avoid prayer times and ask before taking photos.

Details come from official sources and were checked in October 2026. Details may change — please check before you visit. Something wrong? Let us know

Sources (8)