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The Fairy-Tale City

Khiva

The only fully preserved medieval city in Central Asia — 2.2 km of walls and 50 monuments inside a single fortress.

~ 5th century BC
Founded
~ 90,000
Population
50+
Monuments
36 ha
Ichan-Kala area
Iconic places

The face of Khiva

Ichan-Kala — the inner city, entirely medieval
Ichan-Kala — the inner city, entirely medieval
01

An entire 18th-century city

Khiva is the only place on earth where you can walk through an entire medieval city. Not a single quarter, not a reconstruction — a real, working 18th-19th century town with 8-metre clay walls and watchtowers around its perimeter.

Kalta-Minor — the unfinished "short" minaret
Kalta-Minor — the unfinished "short" minaret
02

Inside Ichan-Kala's walls

The inner city of Ichan-Kala fits 50 monuments into 26 hectares — mosques, madrasahs, palaces and caravanserais stand so close that two people sometimes can't pass between them. The turquoise Kalta-Minor tower was meant to be the tallest minaret in the Islamic world but was never finished — hence its stocky silhouette.

Islam Khoja Minaret — the city's tallest point
Islam Khoja Minaret — the city's tallest point
03

The era of the Khiva Khanate

Khiva was the capital of the Khanate of Khiva — one of the three Uzbek khanates of the 16th-20th centuries. The Tash-Khauli Palace with its carved wooden columns and ceramic tiles is a textbook of court life, still preserving its atmosphere.

«In Khiva, time does not pass — it waits while you walk through its epochs.»

Traveller's notes
Practical info

Getting to Khiva

Best seasonApril–May, September–October
Getting thereFly Tashkent–Urgench (1 h), then 35 km taxi
Recommended nights1–2
Insider tipStay inside Ichan-Kala — the medieval atmosphere is preserved
Highlights

What to see in Khiva

Ichan-KalaIslam Khoja MinaretTash-Khauli PalaceJuma MosqueMuhammad Amin Khan MadrassaCity Walls
Stop just reading

Time to see Khiva for yourself

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