JUMA MASJID, THE FRIDAY MOSQUE

Always going east and on the right side of the street. From the outside, nothing, or almost anything, can predict the grandiose character of the Friday mosque. The monotony of a long blind wall is interrupted by a huge door with two doors, finely worked wooden, a 33 m tall minaret dominates the whole. The interior is more than surprising: a forest of carved wood columns supports the ceiling of the mosque. Each pillar seems to have its history, one of the most famous being the one from India. Its decoration is abstract, as Islam wants, but it is clear from human representation. By taking the time to study the various ornamentations, we can discover the Zoroastrians symbols, the Buddha's representations, etc. The rich pilgrims or merchants coming into business at Uzs offered the mosque a carved column in the style of their city, replacing another too old column. The oldest, about, date from the th and th centuries. In total, the mosque has 213 columns, all of different ages and motifs. Some, sometimes from other buildings, had to be rallongées or shortened. They are based on a carved marble base, ensuring stability and protecting them from soil moisture. The architecture of the Juma mosque corresponds to the archaic style of the first mosques that were places of assembly. It commented on the Koran, but it also discussed other issues relating to the organisation of the social life of believers. The mihrab is placed in the centre of the immense 55 m long room and 45 m wide. Light penetrates through two octagonal openings breakthroughs in the ceiling. As a result of recent and rather unfortunate restoration, the glass openings were sealed and replaced with lamps.