Balyand Mosque

In the southern part of Bukhara, in the rich district, there is one of the most beautiful mosques in the city - Balyand. It is translated from Uzbek as "high". The mosque itself is not notable for phenomenal height, although it has the high columns, but it has such name due to the high foundation, elevating the mosque.
The mosque is divided into two parts: summer and winter. Winter part is located inside the cube-shaped building of the mosque, and the summer part consists of the terrace surrounded by the range of high columns. The basis of the beauty of this mosque is the carving on wooden columns, and interior decoration of the mosque, made with gilding. By the way, the columns were installed in the XIX century, and the mosque was built in the early XVI century. Over the centuries it was the model of the construction of mosques.
Today, this beautiful mosque continues to perform its functions, and is protected by UNESCO as world heritage site.