Tips 1 - 10 of 12 Khiva Things to Do
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Things To Do: City walls
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As I have said in my introduction, the old city of Khiva, Ichan Kala, is surrounded by ochre-coloured walls of sun-baked clay which form an effective barrier between the present-day world outside and the magical recreation of the past within. These walls change in appearance with the light at different times of day, and look at their best in the early morning or evening, when the clay glows warmly. At times they reminded me of the classic seaside sand-castle!
Some facts:
The walls are 2.2 kilometres in length (so you can see that this old city is not very large), strengthened along that length by forty bastions. They are truly ancient, dating in places from the 5th century. There are four gates, one in the centre of each side; the western gate, Ota Darvoza (meaning Father Gate); the northern, Bakcha Darvoza; the eastern, Palvan Darvoza; and the southern Tash Darvoza (Stone Gate). The first of these, the Ota Darvoza, is where most tourists enter the city, and is the most heavily restored, having been more or less completely rebuilt forty years ago (after having previous been pulled down to allow motor traffic to enter the city, something not now permitted except in a small area to the south of the Mohammed Amin Khan Madrassah).
However entranced you are by the old city, do take a few minutes to go outside one of the gates to experience the jolt of suddenly finding yourself back in the modern world, and to remind yourself what real life looks like! Outside the walls is also the best place from which to get a sense of their solidity and structure.
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Directions: All round the city ;)
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Things To Do: Kalta Minor
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If you enter the old city through the western gate, as most people do, you will be struck instantly by one of the most beautiful sights of Khiva, the Kalta Minor or “short minaret”. This was not intended to be a short minaret at all, quite the opposite – it is said that it was commissioned by the khan in 1852 to be the tallest in the Islamic world, but that when he found out that the architect had secretly agreed to build an even taller one for the emir of Bukhara the khan had him killed by being thrown off the minaret and it was never finished.
Whatever the truth of this legend, the reality is that this is 26 metres of stunning architecture. Its walls are totally covered with amazing tile-work in a shade of rich jade typical of Khivan style but seen much less elsewhere in the country, and with bands of other shades that serve merely to make the jade look even more vibrant. As the sun moves around during the day you will find that the colours shift, so it’s worth visiting this spot more than once to see the minaret in its various hues, including at night when it is wonderfully illuminated.
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Directions: On the right just inside the western gate, attached to the Mohammed Amin Khan Madrassah
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Things To Do: Mohammed Amin Khan Madrassah
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This madrassah, now the Hotel Khiva, is worth a visit even if you’re not staying here. It fits perfectly into its setting just inside these old walls, although it is much less old than they are, being built by Mohammed Amin Khan in the 1850s. At its base is a small row of traditional shops, now selling the inevitable tourist souvenirs, but which would in the past have provided a valuable source of income for the madrassah. Go up the short steep flight of steps between two of these and you’ll be rewarded with a great view of the impressive entrance portal and to its left the beautiful Kalta Minor (described in my previous tip). Pass through this entrance and into the courtyard to see the restored cells or hajira (no one will stop or question you, I’m sure, even if you aren’t staying here). This is a pleasant space in which to rest and you should be able to purchase a cold drink or some green tea, or in the evening a beer or vodka, while you enjoy the atmosphere here.
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Address: 1, Pachlavan Makhmud Street
Directions: Just inside the western gate to the old city, right by the Kalta Minor
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Things To Do: Kukhna Ark - Kurinish Khana
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A short distance along the main street, Polvon Qori, from the western gate of the old city of Khiva, turn to your left to visit the impressive Kukhna Ark or fortress, the original residence of the khan. Entering through the old gate with its intricately carved wooden door and twin towers decorated with turquoise tile-work, you find yourself in the main courtyard, beyond which is a further courtyard with the beautiful blue iwan of the Kurinish Khana or Throne Room. Here the khan would hold his royal audience – on the iwan itself during the summer, and in a yurt set up in the centre of the courtyard in the winter. The decoration of this small space is wonderful, with delicate tile-work and ganch (carving in alabaster). Behind the iwan is the room that would originally have housed the throne itself – what you see here is a replica as the original is now on display in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
I continue the exploration of the Kukhna Ark in my next tip …
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Directions: North of Polvon Qori at its western end, or on your left as you enter the old city by its western gate
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Things To Do: Kukhna Ark – watch tower
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In the north western corner of the Kurinish Khana is the entrance to the Ark’s watch tower. For a small additional fee (2,000 som whenwe were there) you can climb its 33 steps for a view of the fortress and the city beyond. Be warned though – these are “Khivan” steps, i.e. very tall and steep, and they are very badly lit, so this isn’t a climb for the infirm or nervous. It is worth doing however, though when we went up in the morning the sun was shining from the wrong direction to get the very best views of the city. We planned to return later, but unfortunately the heat got the better of us and a rest in our hotel room seemed the better option for our free time that afternoon ;)
My third photo (taken by Chris) shows Sue and me with a group of Uzbek tourists who were keen to be photographed with us!
I continue the exploration of the Kukhna Ark in my next tip …
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Directions: North of Polvon Qori at its western end, or on your left as you enter the old city by its western gate
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Things To Do: Kukhna Ark – mosque and mint
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When you’ve had your fill of the beautiful iwan and the views from the watch tower of the Kukhna Ark, return to its main courtyard and turn left to visit the summer mosque, with more gorgeous tile-work, especially majolica. I particularly loved the rich blues of this small minaret.
From this courtyard you can enter a small room which was once the city’s mint, and which now displays examples of old bank notes (some of them made from silk) and coins, as well as a life-size model of the minters at work. Apparently they were forced to spend many months in this tiny room as they weren’t trusted to leave without taking some of the valuable cash with them!
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Directions: North of Polvon Qori at its western end, or on your left as you enter the old city by its western gate
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Things To Do: Mohammed Rakhin Khan Madrassah
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This large madrassah lies directly opposite the Kukhna Ark, and now houses a small history museum. Although some of the exhibits are tired and frankly dull, it’s worth a look for the old photos of Khiva (in a room to the right of the entrance) and the camera with which they were taken, and some interesting traditional musical instruments. There are also items of pottery, armour and clothing.
Also on this large square is the city’s jail, or Zindan, with a gruesome display of instruments of torture is supplemented by graphic images showing them in use. The excellent guidebook, “Uzbekistan: the Golden Road to Samarkand” (written by Calum MacLeod & Bradley Mayhew, published by Odyssey) describes some of most unpleasant Khivan forms of justice in some detail, quoting from Arminius Vambery’s “Travels in Central Asia” (1864):
“To have cast a look upon a thickly-veiled lady sufficed for the offender to be executed by the Redjin according as religion directs. The man is hung and the woman is buried up to the breast in the earth near the gallows, and there stoned to death. As in Khiva there are no stones, they use kesek (hard balls of earth). At the third discharge the poor victim is completely covered with dust, and the body, dripping with blood, is horribly disfigured, and the death which ensues alone puts an end to her torture.”
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Directions: North of Polvon Qori near its western end, directly opposite the Kukhna Ark
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Things To Do: Xo’jash Mahram Madrassah
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If you turn south from Polvon Qori roughly halfway along its length you’ll find yourself on a smaller and less frequented street which leads past several madrassahs, a number of which are in use as workshops. We were disappointed not to be able to visit the silk- weaving one, which by the time we arrived had closed for lunch and never seemed to reopen, but we were luckier at the Xo’jash Mahram Madrassah, where a wood-carving school operates. The young boys here were using their school holidays to learn a craft and were mainly engaged in carving the traditional wooden Koran stands that you find in all the tourist souvenir shops here. It would be a good place to buy one of these if you’re looking for one, but we focused instead on getting some photos of the boys as they worked, all of whom were very happy to pose.
If you look at photo 3 you’ll see one of the unusually shaped tiles set in the wall of this madrassah just by the entrance. This is a Zoroastrian symbol; we saw several such reminders of this ancient religion on our travels and were told that its beliefs have had a strong influence on Uzbek architecture.
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Directions: Turn south from Polvon Qori near the small (and noisy!) music “museum” and follow the road round to the left after a hundred metres or so
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Things To Do: Pakhlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum
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This is the holiest spot in all of Khiva, the tomb of its patron saint known variously as Palvan Pir the wrestler saint, Pirar Vali the Persian poet, Mahmoud the furrier. This hero of local folklore died in 1325, and a small mausoleum was built on the site of his furrier shop which later grew to become the imposing and beautiful structure you can see here today.
You enter through a gate on the south side to find yourself in a smallish courtyard with the main mosque on the far side. You are surrounded by colour – an intense blue that mimics the Khivan sky. Take off your shoes and enter the mosque, bearing in mind that unlike many of the decommissioned mosques you may visit on your travels in Uzbekistan, this is a holy place. There are several sarcophagi in the first room you come to but the tomb of Pakhlavan Mahmoud is in a separate room to your left, beautifully decorated and protected by a screen (see photo 4).
Back outside look in the room on the west side of the courtyard (now on your right). This was intended to hold the tomb of one of the khans, Isfandyer, but he was assassinated outside the city walls so by local law couldn’t be buried within them. His son suffered a similar fate, so only his mother lies here out of the three for whom it was originally constructed. The room is in a poor state of repair, so you cannot enter, but it is worth a look to get a sense of what the restorers of Khiva (and elsewhere in the country) have rescued for us to appreciate today.
From outside the complex, especially the street that skirts its eastern edge, you can see the large number of small tombs scattered around it (photo 3). People believed that to be buried close to a holy man was to buried closer to heaven, so many holy sites are surrounded in this way (the Shah-i-Zinda in Samarkand is another good example).
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Directions: Lies to the south of the main street, Polvon Qori, roughly halfway along its length. The photo of the tombs was taken from Bukhara Street, near the Museum of Applied Arts.
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Things To Do: Juma Mosque
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This is something of a magical space, unlike any other building I saw in Uzbekistan (or have seen anywhere, though others in the group who’ve travelled in Turkey said they’d visited similar mosques there). It is almost completely unadorned, apart from the small mihrab (niche) and central pool, but derives its special atmosphere from the forest of wooden pillars that support its roof. I use the word “forest” with care, for that is exactly the sensation I had – of being in a small forest or wood, the light diffused and filtered by the trees, and the possibility of magic just around the corner. What must it have been like to have worshipped here in the days when it was the main Friday mosque of the city? And in fact there are trees, two of them, growing up through the building almost organically, as if it is slowly returning to the nature that provided the wood for all those other stately columns.
While the mosque dates from the late 18th century, some of these 213 columns are truly ancient. The four oldest were taken from an earlier building in Kath (the one-time capital of Khorezm) in the 10th century, and another seventeen are only 100 years younger. On the other hand, a few are very new, replacing older ones during the restoration process in the latter half of the 20th century. And in accordance with Islamic beliefs, the carving on each is different – only God should be allowed the perfection of symmetry. My third and fourth photos show details of these columns.
To really appreciate this atmosphere you need to visit on your own, not in a tour group. We managed to do both. In the heat of the day, when most tourists were sensibly having a siesta or sitting over a cold drink in a shady chaikhana, we visited the mosque on our own, returning later with the group to benefit from the our guide’s knowledge. If you do the same it’s worth knowing that you can avoid paying an entrance fee by giving the name of your guide – those looking after the mosque will then know that your fee has been paid already.
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Directions: On the south side of the main street, Polvon Qori, roughly halfway along its length.
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 Comments for toonsarah about Khiva | | | | |
sachara Sat Sep 6, 2008 23:20 UTC
Fantastic page of Khiva, Sarah. I love your writings and pictures. While reading your page I almost feel the heat again. | yumyum Thu Sep 4, 2008 19:52 UTC
How come I missed this amazing page before?! I visited Khiva in Soviet time and I guess it has changed a lot. We stayed overnight in Urgentch. | willy_wonka Fri Jul 18, 2008 06:50 UTC
this is such a fantastic page sarah! i loved your detailed tips, but its the photos that really drew me in. i so cant wait for my uzbek journey, im going next year no matter WHAT! | calcaf38 Sun May 18, 2008 01:32 UTC
Sarah, this is one of your very best! Fantastic page. We should all be grateful to you. Oh, by the way, Guatemala is definitely a prime destination, at least as much so as Ecuador... |
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