Khiva (Хива, خیوه)

According to legend, Khiva was founded by Noah's son Shem who found a well there. What is sure is that Khiva existed by the 8th century. In that time it was a trading post on a branch of the Silk Road. At the beginning of the 16th century, the town became the capital of the Timurid Empire and for the following 300 years, it made a fortune from slave trade and as pivot of the khanate. During the 19th century the Russians took over power in the area.

Nowadays Khiva is a nice and quiet place. The old town has been preserved completely and includes several mosques, tombs and madrassas. Khiva is divided into two parts, the outer town of Dichan Kala and the inner town called Itchan Kala. In both parts, turquoise tiles are widely used to decorate buildings.

Dichan Kala

Khiva's outer town of Dichan Kala, or Dichan Qala, used to be protected by a wall with 11 gates.

Itchan Kala

In 1991, Itchan Kala, or Ichan Qala, was the first place in Uzbekistan that was inscribed into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. The walled inner city is still partly inhabited, but large parts of the old town are more like an open-air museum. It is believed to have been founded in the 10th century. The 10 m-tall 17th-century crenellated walls still stand to this day.

There are countless monuments and old buildings in Khiva's old town. Most of the constructions date from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Kalta Minor

in the central square was supposed to be a minaret, but its builder, Mohammed Amin Khan, died before he could complete it. His successors left the tower as it was and as a result it's not very high and it has a 'fat' appearance. It was covered with turquoise colored tiles and work ended in 1851.

The Djuma mosque

, or Juma mosque, originally had 218 wooden columns, of which only 112 remain. It was built in the 10th century, but it was later destroyed. In 1789 the mosque was rebuilt.

Other interesting sites in Khiva include the Kukhna Ark fortress; the Tosh-Khovli Palace, which is marvelously decorated; the Islom-Huja Medressa and the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum, which is decorated with wonderful tiles. The Sherghazi Khan madrassa is one of the oldest madrassas in Khiva that is still standing. It dates from the 18th century.

You can get to Khiva by bus from Urgench, which is connected with Tashkent. There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Khiva. The city is 755 km west of Tashkent.

Khiva is also sometimes referred to as Orgunje, Kheeva, Khorasam, Khoresm, Khwarezm, Khwarizm, Khwarazm, or Chorezm.

Hotels in Khiva

Images

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