Ota Gate

History

The Ota Gate was built in 1828–1829 under Allakuli Khan and served as Itchan Kala’s main entrance. On its inner side were 13 rows of stalls and a covered bazaar, while rooms inside housed the customs post, a money-changers’ office and the gatekeeper. Step through and the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasa is on your right, the Konya Ark on your left.

The original gate did not survive: it was demolished in 1920 and rebuilt from archival records in 1974–1978.

Architecture

The gatehouse is a rectangular building of roughly 17.5 by 15.4 metres with four main rooms along a long passage, one of them holding a spiral stair to the roof. Defensive towers flank the arched passage, with a lookout gallery above, and timber beams were laid into the brickwork to strengthen the arches.

The door leaves are carved with flowing islimi foliage and geometric patterns; eight-pointed stars sit in roundels at the centre, with Surah al-Ikhlas on the right leaf and the Shahada on the left. The doors originally belonged to Muhammad Amin Khan’s country palace.