Holiday in Khiva

What makes Khiva special as a destination?

Khiva is a city that looks as if it has materialized straight out of a fairy tale from One Thousand and One Nights. The completely preserved old town Ichan Kala, surrounded by massive mud brick walls, is one of the best-preserved examples of medieval Islamic urban architecture in the world and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. Entering the old town through the West Gate (Ata Darvoza) immerses you in another time: minarets and madrasahs line up like pearls on a string, their turquoise tiles glowing against the endless blue sky of the desert. The Kalta Minor Minaret — the unfinished but iconic turquoise-blue landmark of the city — was once intended to be the tallest minaret in the Islamic world. Construction was abandoned in 1852 after the Khan's death, but its stout, brightly decorated stump is today the most photographed monument in Uzbekistan. The Islam-Khodja Minaret, which instead became the tallest in the city, offers a breathtaking panoramic view: below lies the labyrinthine network of streets of Ichan Kala, beyond it the shimmering desert to the horizon. The Dzhuma Mosque, with its 213 carved wooden columns — each a unique piece from different centuries — is a space of meditative silence and overwhelming craftsmanship. Khiva feels more intimate than Samarkand and less touristy than Bukhara. In the evening, when day visitors have disappeared back to their buses, the old town belongs to the few overnight guests: one wanders through the streets illuminated by warm light, hears the calls to prayer from the minarets, and feels the breath of a civilization that has been at home here for over 2,500 years. The silence and beauty of the desert city at night is an experience that leaves a deep impression.