Kokand’s most impressive mosque, built by Umar Khan in 1812, is centred on a 22m minaret and includes a colourful 100m-long aivan (portico) supported by 98 red-wood columns brought from India. The entire complex has reverted to its former Soviet guise as a museum, with one room housing a collection of suzani and ceramics from the region. The large wall separating the courtyard from the street was being torn down when we visited, heralding a possible new look for the complex.
