Travel: Tashkent to Khiva , May 9th Uzbekistan

Lili Naveh
May 9
10 min read

A continuation of a guided tour to Uzbekistan which started on May 7th

TLV to Tashkent. 5/8-9 (here)

Tashkent 5/8-9 (here)

After one full day touring the capital Tashkent , while deprived of sleep from the previous early morning arrival , the group was summoned up to rise up May 9th,

at 4:30am as to make it back to the Tashkent airport, with no complains heard .

The local early morning flight, to Urgench, (968 km west of Tashkent) was for the purpose of visiting exotic Khiva - the 2nd Silk Road town destination, of Itchan Kala, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. took 1.5 hour. It is located 35 km from Urgench airport to the southeast,

it became apparent, at the check-in desk that my name was misspelled on the internal flight ticket, a detail that couldn't have been beforehand detected, as only the local guide had the tickets in hand. After some hard exchanges with the tough airline clerk the miraculous intervention of Tolic the local guide, did the trick and I was lucky to board the plane with the rest.

At a certain unexpected point when flying over the desolated Kyzylkum desert , suddenly the yellow barren landscape below, metamorphosed into

a verdant Oasis dotted with miles and miles of green cultivated oasis landscape, divided to meticulous field plots mainly of cotton and rice crops,

Landing at Urgench

The capital of Khorazm Region. with an estimated population of about 153,000

is set across the Kyzylkum Desert., Urgench is a flat, grey Soviet town founded in the second half of the 19th C, in the Khivan oasis, which serves mainly as the entry point and home of most group like ours, traveling to visit Khorezm

Situated on the banks of the Amu Darya river and the Shavat canal, initially it was simply a small trading town in the Khanate of Khiva.

The arrival of the Trans-Caspian railway at the end of the 19th C - a railway that follows the path of the SilkRoad through much of western Central Asia. built by the Russian Empire during its expansion into Central Asia, made the town viable as an international trading post, and during the Soviet era the city was heavily industrialized.

The Soviets introduced cotton, motifs of which dominate the city, adorning everything from apartment blocks to street lights and in the autumn months the city empties out into the surrounding cotton fields and cotton harvests monopolize local news.

This cash crop named the "White Gold" remains the mainstay of the local economy to the present day.

Memorial Complex

Lenin disappeared overnight in 1992, replaced in the huge central square by Abu Mohammed Ibn Musa al Khwarizmi, (783-840) .the mathematical genius recognized in the word algorithm and father of algebra. Born near Khiva to descendants of Zoroastrian exorcists, Al Khorezmi later moved with the Caliph to Baghdad and authored several important astronomical works that may have later helped Columbus find the New World

The Drive to Khiva

The one hour drive from Urgench to Khiva is unremarkable and only reveals new real estate developments,along the road and many parked tour busses

Khiva

The city is known for the Islamic architecture within its 590-acre (240-hectare) historic walled center.-named Itchan Kala which was a trade depot and fortress along the caravan routes that led across the desert.

It was.the first site in Uzbekistan to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1991).

It is estimated that the city Khiva was established in 6 AD, around 2,500 years ago. an anniversary the town celebrated In 1997, but Khiva was first recorded in the 10th C

by two Arabian travelers.

Set west of the Amu Darya river on the Palvan Canal, it is bounded on the south by the Karakum Desert and on the northeast by the Kyzylkum desert

Water is much more salty in the area impacting the food, which is less tasty then in other regions.

Being one of the most remote locations along the Silk Road, Khiva a -Gate Way city , served as the final resting spot for caravans traveling west before they embarked on a journey through the vast desert.

In the early part of its history, the Aryan inhabitants spoke an Eastern Iranian language called Khwarezmian. The Turks replaced the Iranian ruling class in the 10th AD, and the region gradually turned into an area with a majority of Turkic speakers.

Arabs conquered the area in the 8th and named the area after crossing the Moderia over the River” replacing the Zoarist religious. with Islam

The astronomer, historian and polymath, Al-Biruni[ (973–1048 CE) was born in either Khiva or the nearby city of Kath.

Most of what was built up to 11 C. by previous rulers was conquered and destroyed by the mongols invasions

In the 16th c the town became the capital of Khwarezmia, the Khanate of Khiva, .

The khanate was ruled by a branch of the Astrakhans, a Genghisid dynasty. and was also the capital of the Khorezm People's Soviet Republic.

From the 17th to the 19th C a notorious slave market was centered there, and alongside the neighboring Bukhara slave trade, both were referred to as the "slave capitals of the world".

During the first half of the 19th c around 30,000 Persians and an unknown number of Russians, were enslaved there before being sold.

A large part of the slaves were set to work on the construction of buildings in the walled Ichan-Kala .Today the most striking architecture features are the open-air museum. of the historic city.

Russia annexed some parts of the Khanate of Khiva in the 19th c vassalising it into the Russian protectorate in 1862 Soviet ruling was a short episode lasting only 70 years.

Approximately 130,000 people in Khorazm Region, while the historic center is a home for only 300 families, mostly engaged in crafts, .making their living off activities such as the "KhivaCarpet" joint-stock company, cotton cleaning, ginning factories, carpet weaving, the "Khiva Gilami" joint-stock company, and other carpet weaving enterprises, trade, and service establishments .

Khiva is split into two parts.

The Outer Town called Dichan Kala,

The historic center was formerly protected by clay wall (more than 2 km long, up to 10 m and 5-6 m at thickness) that surrounds the city. Four gates on each side of the world, access the fortress walls

Ota West Gate 1828-29

The four main gates of Khiva's Ichan-Kala (inner city) are

Ota-Darvoza (Father's Gate),

Palvan-Darvoza (Wrestler's Gate),

Tosh-Darvoza (Stone Gate), and

Bogcha-Darvoza (Garden Gate)

Polvon Gate, Tosh-Darvoza Bogcha Gate

Our group entered Ichan-Kala via the Ota Gate and wished to depart via the Stone Gate

Most of Khiva's architectural masterpieces, an exotic image of preserved eastern city .are concentrated in the urban core –Itchan Kala. It is a "city within a city"

The Inner Town, or Itchan Kala, - (Royal Court), is encircled by brick walls, whose foundations are believed to have been laid in the 10th C

Present-day crenelated walls date back to the late 17th C and are at the 10 m height.

The Ichan-Kala enclosed buildings date from the 12th C, but most of its palace buildings, mosques, madrasahs (Muslim theological schools), mausoleums, and other structures date from 1780–1850, when the city prospered as a trade depot and fortress There are more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, 26 madrasas. and 2 palaces

This tallest minaret in town dominates the sky line of this movie-set like historic town,

and It has always been used as an observation post and to call Muslims to prayer.

Islam Khoja Minaret

This one of the tallest minarets in Uzbekistan, and the second largest in Central Asia (56.6 m) is part of complex, which includes a madrasa and a mosque

The construction of the minaret began in 1908 at the initiative of the chief minister of the Khiva khans Muhammad Rahim Khan and Asfandiyar Khan - Islam Khoja

The Islām Khwaja madrasah and minaret (1908–10) represent the last major architectural accomplishments of Central Asia’s Islamic era. Reaching a height of 148 feet (45 metres), the minaret is Khiva’s tallest structure.

Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasa

Above the entrance to the building the inscription in Arabic says : “This wonderful building will stay here forever to descendants’ joy”.

It is indeed one of the main sights, and the largest madrasah not only in Khiva but in the Central Asia,

It was built in 1851-1854 by the order of Khiva ruler Muhammad Amin-khan ( 1843-1855), one of Khiva's most illustrious khans, and was named after him.

Adorned with five domes and flank towers.its facade is decorated with rich ornament of glazed brick, wooden doors abound in ornamental carving, majolica face impresses with herbal patterns The 2-storied building intended for 260 students. What makes this madrasah unique is that each khudjra (cells) consists of two rooms and khudjras on second floor consisted of room and loggia, looking out the facade.

The Madrasa was one of the richest educational institutions that held numerous wakf lands. In addition,the Chancery of the Supreme Muslim the Courtyard was located in this building. However in Soviet time the space was used as a jail for political prisoners.

And today the magnificent building preserved its historical look its functions were transformed into an hotel, with a tour agency,,currency exchange office and cafe.

Kalta Minor, - Symbol of the city.

Adjacent to the madrasa is the large blue tower which was supposed to be a minaret. in the central city square,

It was built in 1851 also by Mohammed Amin Khan, but the Khan died and the succeeding Khan did not complete it.

The minaret base is 15 m diameter

at the foundation and the height is 29 m. but this massive tower has only third part of the project height.

The minaret's massive trunk, exquisitely decorated with wide and narrow belts of glazed tile and majolica, which are still bright and vivid as in 1855., indicates that it was conceived as a grandiose, majestic structure, the main vertical of the city.

Remained unfinished, it received the name of Kalta (short).

Walking the Streets of the Itchan Kala. adorned with many gift/art shops

Juma Mosque, was established in the 10th C and rebuilt in 1788–89, with its

celebrated hypostyle hall supported by more than 200 carved wooden pillars,

Some of date from the 10th c, and taken from other ancient structures, so many of the columns are unique and do not resemble each other.

The remarkable pillars are recognized for their amazing slenderness, quality ornamental carving and decorative art.

Pahlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum complex

this architectural gem, a Persian-style building, where shining turquoise tiles decorate the walls and the stunning courtyard, under the largest turquoise dome of Khiva.

The memorial monument was built to honor the 14th-C Khiva's patron saint. Poet, philosopher, legendary wrestler, and extraordinarily compassionate man ,

The stunning Mausoleum hosts the tomb of who is revered as Khiva’s protector.

Known for his empathetic generosity, he worked to help the poor and the oppressed with his actions & donations.

According to his will, Pahlavon Mahmud was buried in his own leather workshop. Over time, this place became a respected pilgrimage site and later a complex named after him was built.

He died in the 1320s, but the Mausoleum was built as a memorial in the 1700s to celebrate his great life and actions after he was made a saint

His grave was in the cemetery behind the Juma Mosque.

The Pahlavan Mahmoud mausoleum (rebuilt 1810–25) is usually considered the most impressive building in the Ichan-Kala. The center of burial ground, features a number of domed tombs and exquisitely patterned tiling.

At the museum Center

Forms of Punishments in Medieval Khiva

Hanging off the Tower Stoning Scratched by Hungry sacked Cats

The State Museum "Ichan-Kala" is now equipped with sculptures, paintings and other artifacts, reflecting historical events, ancient values, traditions, culture, and the social life of Khiva's population and nearby territories of the Great Silk Road and Uzbekistan.

The Khorezm Historical and Revolutionary Museum was founded in 1920 by the Khorezm People's Republic in the Palace of the Khiva Khan in the Old Ark.

In 1967 in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated to 1969 the State Historical and Architectural Museum of Khiva "Ichan-Kala" was established

in 1990 the city of Khiva was one of the first cities in Central Asia, which was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List .

Tash Hauli Palace Complex (1830–38; “Stone Palace”)

The magnificent palace, an impressive colorful building with walls, towers, and defensive gates that give the palace a fortress-like appearance. was built at the beginning of the 19th C for an emir with overly grand ambitions and desires.

It is especially notable for its harem court, with its elaborately carved pillars and colorful vaulted ceilings. Its walls are tiled with the blue-and-white majolica typical of Khiva.

When the emir declared he wanted his palace to be built in less than three years, the most renowned architects of the time were executed for telling him it wouldn't be possible. Yet, they were right... Tash Hauli Palace required thousands of slaves and eight years of construction.

The palace of Kurnysh-khan was intended for lavish receptions. Once there was a wooden throne in the throne room decorated with silver chasing on a red background.

The building has a beautiful iwan with columns. The palace is remarkable for its rich majolica wall lining with intricate ornaments.

Sites from walking the Ichan-Kala streets

The Prayer hour at the Bogcha Gate, stopped the group's exit through the gate

So the group returned through the same Ota Gate it came in (see above)

In late afternoon the group returned to the historic town for entertainment and dinner

Sherghazi Khan madrassah, (1719-1726)

Among the several madrasas built in the 18th C by slaves, and one of the oldest buildings in Ichan-Kala's center, is Sherghazi Khan madrassah,

Built with the the funds and decree of the Uzbek ruler Shergazikhan (Shir Ghazi Khan). the rectangular, 1-story building with 2 floors on the front side, consists of a large courtyard encircled by 55 hujras (cells) and a lecture hall.

Among the renowned students of the madrassah were the Uzbek poet Raunaq, the Qaraqalpaq poet Kasybayuly, the Turkmen poet and sufi Magtymguly.[

The purpose of the group's visit there, that late afternoon wasn't for scholastic studies...

Back late afternoon at the Itchan Kala we were privy to a traditional acrobatic

performance, which took place at the Sherghazi Khan madrassa's square,

Two adult acrobats and a small child

walked on the narrow rope about 4 m above ground, carrying each other at times, and balancing themselves with a metal rode , This compensatory occupancy living off the incidental hordes of visiting tourists is very popular

The acrobatic performance was accompanied by a local musical brass and tambourine band

Khiva at night is an enchanting magical place, Having dinner on a roof top restaurant when the air is much cooler ,and from where the view of the medieval lighten structures is in sight, is indeed an exotic unique experience

Food and Lodging