Standing on the watchtower we felt like we were on a magic carpet ride, high above the walled city of Khiva. Below us we could see the undulating top of the wall that contained the magical Old City. Before us was a town full of minarets, domed roofs and arched gates. Old Khiva had just stolen our hearts.
The legend of Khiva says that when Noah’s son Shem arrived to the area, he dug a hole in the middle of the desert ground, put his hands in the hole and brought up fresh water. When he gave this water to the people they exclaimed ‘Khey-vakh’ (sweet water). This was the beginning of the town called Khiva and in the 5th century BCE, it became a spot for caravansaries on the Great Silk Road.
This legend displays how important water has always been to the people of this desert town. To them, water means life. Before any building was erected, a well had to be built on the site. If a well wasn’t dug, they believed that the new building would not stand. To this day water continues to be very important and a well must be dug on the property before any new construction begins.
Note – In Central Asian languages kh is pronounced with a hard H as in Hee-vah for Khiva or Han for Khan.
Khiva Wall
As we walked toward Old Khiva, the curvy buttresses of the old city wall captivated our imagination. We pictured caravansaries set up along its border during the Spice Road days. The 8 m tall wall may have been built for security, but for us it was pure enjoyment to see how its rippled shape plays with the changing light of the day. It is almost like a mountain with a different look depending on the light.
The old wall still encapsulates the old city and has only has four entrances. West Gate is called Ata-Darvaza which means Father Gate in English. It is the most impressive entrance to an Old City that we’ve ever seen. From outside the wall, the gate’s two towers stand tall on either side of a large door. Behind it is a glimpse of Khiva’s iconic Kalta Minaret.
The wall differs from Bukhara‘s wall because it surrounds the entire Old Town, where the one in Bukhara was just to protect the palace.
Parts of the wall are the original 5th century structure, but most was rebuilt many times. What we see today is mostly from renovations done in the 17th century. We spent an afternoon walking around the wall admiring its shape and size. Something we didn’t expect to see on the wall were cemeteries. Between East and South Gates we found coffins built into the structure of the wall.
Ichan Kala (Inner City)
The city inside the wall is called Ichan Kala (inner city). It is where nobility and important people lived. A large part of Khiva’s charm is being able to walk through this ancient city at any time of day. A labyrinth of narrow, winding roads and back alleys allow you to feel as if you’ve stepped back in time to the days of the Silk Road. With very few cars allowed inside the old city, we could wander without paying attention to traffic.
Khiva’s location on the Silk Road brought a lot unwanted attention. Even though it was surrounded by the tall, thick wall, the city’s buildings were destroyed by invaders many times over the centuries. Beginning in the late 1600s, Khiva was ruled by an Uzbek Khan Dynasty which allowed it to gain more stability and security. Because of these invasions though, most of the architecture inside the walled city is not older than the 17th century.
This makes it quite young compared to the other historic sites in Uzbekistan such as Registan Square, Amir Temur Mausoleum, Avenue of Mausoleums, or Bukahra. (Click on a link to read our post from that location.)
Kalta Minaret
Once you step inside West Gate, you are enchanted by the stunning, blue tiled Kalta Minaret (19th century). Its beauty distracts you from noticing anything else. The bright blue tiles, wide body and short stature adds mystery to this fabulous structure.
The story behind the stumpy shape of Kalta is an interesting one. In Khiva, it seems that each reigning Khan (king) wanted their legacy to be a minaret, madrasah or mosque. One Khan wanted to build a minaret higher than Bukhara’s famous Kalon Minaret. During those days, minarets not only functioned as a place to send the call to prayer, they also were used as markers to help travellers find the town. To build such a tall minaret required a large base. About halfway through the construction of Kalta, the Khan died and his brother became the ruling Khan. This new king wanted his own legacy building and didn’t care about this tall one that his brother was building. The new Khan told the workers to stop building Kalta Minaret and so it was left at the height we see today. The brother’s minaret is outside of the Old City and is not nearly as colourful and interesting as Kalta.
Beside Kalta Minaret, Mohammed Amin Khan Madrasah adds to the pretty picture. As a madrasah (school) it was quite large with I25 cells, room for 250 people. Today it is operates as a hotel. We wish we knew how nice it was ahead of time or we would have booked a room in Asian Star Hotel.
Khuna Ark Citadel
Not far inside west gate is Khuna Ark Citadel where the royal family once lived. There aren’t many rooms remaining but you can see some of the tilework in the room used to greet the king. The walls in this room are covered in blue tiles and even the ceiling has fancy details. Next to it is his office with gorgeous green tiled walls with flowery yellow ceramic overlays.
The best part of the Ark Citadel is being able to climb to the top of the Watchtower, which is a part of the old wall. From it we had breathtaking views of the dozens of minarets, madrasahs, and mosques of Old Town. From its side we could see the top of undulating wall travel off into the distance. Standing above the desert town felt like we were on a magic carpet, exploring the ancient trading post. The views from the Watchtower are even more incredible before sunset.
Tash Khovli Palace
Toward the centre of the walled city is a newer, 19th century palace. Tash Khovli Palace has the prettiest décor of any building in Khiva. Inside, two matching courtyards are surrounded by blue tiled walls. It felt like a fairytale castle in this desert kingdom. There hasn’t been as much restoration work on the buildings in Khiva, but its easy to imagine how these courtyards looked at the time. They must have been spectacular.
The khan’s bedroom is located off another pretty courtyard. His room is very ornate and is equipped with secret doors and passages so he could sleep with any of his 4 wives or 40 girlfriends without the others knowing.
Compared to his room the bedrooms for his wives are quite understated. Instead of elaborate tiles, flowery decorations were painted on the walls and celling.
Islam Khoja Minaret
Not only does this Old Town have the stunning Kalta Minaret, but it has two others that would be stand outs on their own if they weren’t overshadowed by Kalta. One is Islam Khoja Minaret. It is a tall brick tower with tiled blue and green stripes and a crowned top. It can be seen from many parts of Old Town.
Beside it, Islam Khoja Madrassa was built by a Khan who was very forward thinking. He built the 1st hospital, post office and train station in Khiva.
Juma Mosque and Juma Minaret
There are a few mosques in the walled city but none as interesting as Juma Mosque (Friday mosque). The prayer room has 200 wooden pillars, some of which date to the 10th and 11th centuries. The older ones look more like tree stumps than pillars. The newer pillars are elaborately carved with flower and geometric designs.
Outside it is the city’s other pretty minaret. Juma Minaret is distinctive with its fine stripes made of teal blue tiles.
In addition to the main sites we mentioned above, there are many other madrasahs and mausoleums in the city. Most were empty or closed, but it was fun to walk the streets and find these gems around every corner.
One of our favourites was Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum. It is very picturesque with a bright green dome and several smaller teal domes below. Rounded brick tombs filled in the cemetery beside it.
Along the main pedestrian streets of Old Town are many stalls selling tourist souvenirs. Some were temping us to buy colourful tiles similar to those we’d seen on the many historical buildings. If only we didn’t have another 4 months of travel ahead of us.
It was sweltering hot when we were there so we were surprised to see so many fuzzy hats, woollen slippers and mittens for sale but discovered that Khiva, and in fact all of Uzbekistan, has a continental climate. Winters are very cold, with temperatures down to -20° C. Summers are scorching with temperatures in the 40s° C. It’s difficult to imagine surviving winter in their uninsulated brick homes.
When we were walking through the market a parade passed by. We couldn’t find out what it was for, but loved to see the fun costumes.
Entrance Tickets
The walled city is open 24/7, at no charge. Most of the important buildings and museums require a ticket which can be purchased from a kiosk outside West Gate. Tickets costs 150,000 USZ ($13 USD) and are valid for three days. There is an extra fee to climb to the top of Islam Khoja Minaret (100,000 UZS/$8.75USD) and to one section of the wall (20,000 UZS/$1.75USD).
Where to Stay in Khiva
There are many options for hotels and guesthouses. Try to stay in or near the walled city. Note though that most of the hotels can only be reached on foot as there is very little traffic allowed in Old Town. Consider staying in the historic madrasah, Asian Star Hotel, but we’ll be very jealous if you do.
Where to eat in Khiva
The Old City of Khiva is definitely ready for tourists. There are more restaurants inside the walls than outside. Our favourite restaurant was Terrassa Café & Restaurant where not only did it have excellent food, but the views from its rooftop are outstanding. The three pictures below were all taken at this restaurant.
What to wear in Khiva
Uzbekistan is a conservative country but Khiva tends to be a little more liberal. Local women wear short sleeve tops and skirts to mid calf, but no cleavage or shoulders are shown. Women should consider dressing similar. Some tourists were wearing tank tops and shorts but it seemed inappropriate and culturally insensitive. Even though it seemed more liberal, our hotel asked us if we were married before agreeing to give us a room with one double bed!
Getting to Khiva
There is an international airport in nearby Urgench, but most international flights arrive in Tashkent. Domestic flights are very inexpensive, especially if you only have carry-on luggage. We flew from Khiva to Tashkent for $70 USD each, and that included luggage. Overnight trains travel between Khiva and Bukhara. It’s only 6 hours, so it didn’t seem necessary to take an overnight train. We also wanted to see the desert landscape during the day. If you want to travel during the day, you can take a share-taxi. They meet at Karvan Bazar in Bukhara across from Mohitobon Hotel. You should arrive by 8 or 8:30 am to ensure you get a seat. The cost is 250, 000 ($21.75) each, in a 4 passengers in a sedan. We had our big backpacks and wasn’t a problem.
Getting Around Khiva
Khiva does not have Yandex, but there are several taxis waiting at the train station or airport. Once you arrive to Old Town you won’t need a taxi as everything is contained within the wall. Expect to pay 125,000 UZS ($11 USD) to and from the airport in Urgench.
This article is now featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Khiva.
Please visit the link for our Travel Tips in Uzbekistan.
To read our other posts from Uzbekistan click here.
Coming Next – Uzbekistan’s Fergana Valley
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