Khiva Travel Guide: Itchan Kala, Minarets & Silk Road Food

Khiva is the Silk Road as it looked in the imagination long before anyone saw a photograph: a desert oasis in the Khorezm region of western Uzbekistan, ringed by sand-coloured mud-brick walls and punctuated by turquoise-tiled minarets. It sits near the lower Amu Darya river, about 30 km from the regional capital and airport at Urgench and roughly 450 km across the Kyzylkum Desert from Bukhara. For centuries it was a caravan stop on the route between Persia and the steppe, and from the 17th century until 1920 it was the seat of the Khanate of Khiva, a powerful and famously isolated state.

The heart of the city is Itchan Kala, the walled inner town that in 1990 became the first site in Uzbekistan inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Inside its walls, more than fifty historic monuments and hundreds of traditional houses stand within a few minutes’ walk of one another, so the whole of the old khanate’s capital can be explored on foot. Early morning and the golden hour before sunset, when the walls glow and the day-trippers leave, are the times to be here. Khiva is one of the highlights of the Golden Eagle Caspian Odyssey rail journey offered by Palace Tours, which pairs the old city with the great Silk Road cities of Central Asia.

What to see in Khiva

• Itchan Kala walls and West Gate – The massive crenellated clay walls, some 10 metres high, enclose the old town. Enter through the Ota Darvoza (West Gate) and climb the walls near the northern gate for a sweeping view over rooftops and minarets.
• Kalta Minor Minaret – Khiva’s signature landmark: a short, wide tower wrapped completely in blue, green and white glazed tiles. It was begun in the 1850s to be the tallest minaret in Central Asia but was left unfinished when its patron, Muhammad Amin Khan, died.
• Kunya Ark – The old citadel and residence of the khans, with a throne courtyard, a summer mosque lined with majolica tilework, a former mint and the Aq Sheikh Bobo watchtower, the best viewpoint in the city at sunset.
• Juma Mosque – A remarkable hypostyle hall with no portal or dome, its roof held up by more than 200 carved wooden columns, a few of which are believed to date back a thousand years. Light filters in through openings in the ceiling, making it one of the most atmospheric interiors in Uzbekistan.
• Islam Khodja Minaret and Madrasa – Built in the early 20th century, this banded minaret is the tallest in Khiva at around 57 metres. Climb its narrow spiral stairs for views across the desert; the small madrasa beside it houses a museum of applied arts.
• Tash Khauli Palace – The “Stone Palace” of Allakuli Khan, built in the 1830s, is famed for its harem courtyard of tiled iwans, carved wooden pillars and intricate majolica in deep blue and white.
• Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum – The tomb of Khiva’s patron saint, a 14th-century poet, furrier and legendary wrestler, crowned by a turquoise dome. It remains a place of pilgrimage, and its tiled interior is among the finest in the city.
• Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasa and Dishan Kala – Once the largest Islamic college in Central Asia, the madrasa beside Kalta Minor has been converted into a hotel. Beyond the inner walls, the outer town of Dishan Kala holds the Nurullabai Palace, where the last khans received guests in European-influenced reception halls.

What to eat in Khiva

Khorezm cooking has its own character within Uzbek cuisine. The local speciality is shivit oshi, bright green noodles made with fresh dill and served with a meat and vegetable stew and a spoonful of yoghurt. Look also for tukhum barak, delicate boiled dumplings filled with seasoned egg, and gummi, fried pastries stuffed with meat. Of course there is plov, Uzbekistan’s national rice dish of carrots, onions and lamb, cooked in giant cauldrons and traditionally eaten at lunchtime.

Clay tandoor ovens turn out round non bread stamped with patterns, and flaky somsa filled with meat or pumpkin. Meals end, and conversations begin, with pots of green tea, while local markets are piled with melons, grapes, dried apricots and roasted apricot kernels, the sweet taste of an oasis town.

Shopping & crafts

Khiva has a revived tradition of woodcarving, and workshops around Itchan Kala make carved doors, boxes and folding Quran stands. Look for hand-embroidered suzani textiles, silk and wool carpets woven on local looms, ceramics in the blue-and-white Khorezm palette, and the shaggy sheepskin chugurma hats traditionally worn by Khorezm men. Many craftspeople work in open studios, so you can watch the work being made before you buy.

Best time to visit

Spring (April to early June) and autumn (September to October) are the most comfortable seasons, with warm sunny days and cool evenings that suit long walks through the old town. Summer in the Khorezm oasis is very hot, often above 40°C, so sightseeing is best done early and late in the day. Winters are cold and quiet, but the minarets under a clear frosty sky have their own beauty.

Good to know

• A combined ticket sold at the West Gate covers most museums and monuments inside Itchan Kala; minaret climbs and the wall walk may be charged separately.
• The currency is the Uzbek som. Cards are accepted in larger hotels, but carry cash for markets, craft workshops and small cafes.
• Dress modestly when entering mosques and mausoleums, with shoulders and knees covered; women may wish to carry a scarf.
• Streets inside the old town are compact but unpaved in places and minaret stairs are steep and dark, so wear comfortable shoes and bring a small torch or phone light.
• Stay for sunset: the view from the Kunya Ark watchtower or the city walls, with the minarets turning gold, is the defining image of Khiva.