Khiva is a city from a fairy-tale. The capital of the Khiva Khanate in the 17th century, it still retained the exotic flavour of a medical Oriental town in the old part of the city - Ichan-Kala, where all monuments of architecture are located. Among them are the Kunya-Ark citadel, the Tash-Khauli Palace, and the fortified hill - Akshish-bobo, which is the best place to glance over the whole city...

Today Khiva is a museum-city. There are no tall buildings and wide streets here. It is very hard to enumerate all the historic sites in Khiva. There are palaces decorated with colourful mosaics, the adobe houses, and many medressehs, minarets and mosques in Khiva, such as the tall and beautiful Islam-Hoja minaret.

Khiva has always been famous for its wood-carving. Doors and columns of palaces are covered by very beautiful patterns.

...It is hard to believe while walking along the paved streets of Ichan-Kala where there is not a single tree or window that a modern city hums with life just a few feet away.

An open-air museum, ancient Khiva is waiting for you!

The Khorezm region is situated in the lower reaches of the Amu-Darya river in the oasis area squeezed in between the two boundless deserts - Kizilkum and Karakum. Khorezm is native land for many ancient civilisations. Archaeological excavations show that as early as the 10th century BC there already was a 300km-long system of irrigation canals in use here. 

Legend regard mythical hero Persian King Siavush as a founder of the first ever dynasty of Khorezm Kings. Local scientists insist there are grounds to consider Khorezm as a native land of Zoroaster’s. 

The first written mentioning of Khorezm (519BC) relates to the times of Achaemenid Empire of Persia, to the King Darius I. At the 10th c AD Khorezm was playing an important part as a large economic, cultural and scientific centre. Here such great scientists as Al-Khorezmi and Beruni lived and worked . Here the first Academy of Sciences in the East was founded by the Anushtegid sultan Mamoon in X c AD. In XIII century Khorezm might was spread as far as to territory of Persia and Afghanistan, Khoresmshah Muhammad seized Bukhara and Samarkand. Despite strong resistance, though, the Khorezm Kingdom fell prey to ruthless Mongolian Hordes who wiped the capital of Khorezm Kunya-Urgench off the face of the earth. 

Only at the end of the 16th century, again Khorezm had become independent – as Khiva Khanate with the capital in Khiva, which successfully carried on for a long time up until its seizure by Russia at the end of the 19th century. Khiva - one of the most ancient cities in the world - was an attestor of the rise and fall of Khorezm. 

The old Khiva took its final appearance mainly at the end of 18th beginning of the 19th centuries. Today the old part of Ichan-Kala is called “an open-air museum” and is listed by UNESCO among world’s best objects of heritage. The rather small territory of Icham-Kala holds 2 palaces, more than 60 madrasahs as well as small-sized mosques, mausoleums, a cathedral mosque, a roofed market, a caravanserai, a bath-house and active apartment houses. Ichan-Kala is surrounded by a thick and high clay-brick defence wall. Walking around the maze of narrow alleyways protected at both sides by facades of high houses with thick brick walls, crowned by merlons, and domes on corners, one will be amazed by the architecture and skill of the local craftsmen. Not only the administrative and cult buildings, but also simple apartment houses are decorated with dazzling glazed bricks and unique Khiva majolica of incredible designs. Specific of Khiva is the art of woodcarving. In the town, all the columns, doors, gateways and shutters are decorated with unique carved ornaments. Khiva is world-wide renowned for its carpets and jewellery, too. 

Important Sites : 

1. Kunya-Ark (old citadel) XVII-XIX - a former official residence of Khiva khans. It contains a reception hall, arsenal, mint court and a jail. 

2. Juma Mosque (1788-1789). The building itself is pretty simple by look and archaic by design: enclosed courtyard overlapped by wooden roofing borne by 213 wooden columns. What is remarkable though is that it has 25 old columns of which the oldest one is over 1,000 years old. Delicately carved wooden panels of the entrance doorway also attract attention. The quite spacious prayer hall is only lighted through two small glazed openings in the roof. Inside the mosque there are excellent acoustics. 

3. Tash-Khauli Palace (1830 - 1838). The maverick Khivian Allakuli Khan had built the palace and lived there with his harem. Extensive turquoise-blue/white/black majolica panels done in typical of Khiva “interminable Islimi” pattern can be seen in the lavishly decorated Ceremonial Courtyard (Kurinish Hona) as well as in the Court of Justice (Arz Hona) and in particular in the Harem. 

4. Pahlavan-Mahmud Mausoleum (1810-1825). The giant turquoise dome crowning the Mausoleum built by Muhammad Rahim Khan above the tomb of Pahlavon Mahmud - a poet, a professional wrestler and a national hero (1247-1325) - is one of the dominants of Ichan Kala (inner town) of Khiva. Continuous majolica tiling of mausoleum’s internal walls and ceilings as well as the grave-stone combined with an atmosphere of deep spirituality emanating from the holy place make this place a must see destination for visitors and worshipers – local as well as foreigners. 

5 Kalta-Minor Minaret (short minaret) – was ambitiously conceived in 1851 by the builder Muhammad Amin Khan and meant to be tallest minaret (70m) in Central Asia (diameter at the base – 14.2m.). But for banal reason (the khan was killed in one of the feudal clashes) the construction was halted at the height of 26m. It is the only minaret in Central Asia that is completely covered by glazed bricks and majolica throughout its height. 

6. Islam-Khoja Minaret (1908-1910). The minaret is regarded as one of the landmarks of Khiva, the shape of which ascends to early prototype minarets exemplified in Togluk Temur Minaret of Kunya-Urgench (XIV). It has a truncated burnt brick body gradually narrowing towards the small lantern at its top. Colourful bands of glazed brick masonry alternate with geometrical designs of majolica tiling giving the minaret its unique vivid and optimistic look. The height totals 44.6m, the minaret base is 9.5m in diametre. 

7. 30-40 kilometres north from Khiva the ruins of the ancient cities of Ayaz-Kala, Guldursun-Kala, Kizil-kala and Toprak-Kala dating back to IV-I centuries B.C. can be explored. The most ancient of the four is Toprak-kala regarded as capital city of ancient Khorezm. A day trip with a picnic in a Karakalpak yurt will bring you closer to the history and life of local people.