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KHIVA - Pearl of Orient
Khiva is northeast of Bukhara, is near the modern and uninteresting city of Urgench. Khiva is younger and better preserved than either Samarkand or Bukhara. The city still lies within the original city walls, and has changed little since the 18th century. Part of its attraction is its completeness; although it has been turned into a museum town and is hardly inhabited, it is possible to imagine what it was like in its prime when it was a market for captured Russian and Persian slaves. The history of Khiva and the Khorezm oasis is a most fascinating one and the many quaint museums within the Ichan Kala, the walled old city of Khiva, give you insights into life as it was up to quite recently, actually. Whatever way you approach Khiva from, you will have to cross the legendary Amu Darya river and you’ll know, you are close to your destination. As you turn around the last bent, the huge citadel rises before you and the main gate then opens up to the pedestrian zone inside. Today Khiva is the gateway to a region that has much to show for; Ancient Khorezm, stretching way up to Muynak, where you may discover lost cities from the VI century, sleep in a yurt, take river boat rides, mourn the loss of a major water eco system, acquire hand made ceramics, woven rugs and silk carpets, embroidery, woolen slippers and many other souvenirs, drive through lovely villages made entirely from clay, where friendly peasants lead a lifestyle close to the one of their ancestors hundreds of years ago.
Today Khiva is the gateway to a region that has much to show for; Ancient Khorezm, stretching way up to Muynak, where you may discover lost cities from the VI century, sleep in a yurt, take river boat rides, mourn the loss of a major water eco system, acquire hand made ceramics, woven rugs and silk carpets, embroidery, woolen slippers and many other souvenirs, drive through lovely villages made entirely from clay, where friendly peasants lead a lifestyle close to the one of their ancestors hundreds of years ago.
PLACES TO VISIT
ICHAN KALA. Powerful fortifications protect the internal city of Khiva Ichan Kala. the historic architectural reserve, entirely restored to once again emerge as the important desert city it once was. The good condition can be explained by the comparative youth of the majority of the buildings. The city became the capital of Khorezm only in XVII century.
Some key figures: The area of Ican Kala is 26 hectares, the length of the walls is 2200 meters, and the height of the wall is up to 8 meters in some parts. The main architectural monuments are located inside the Ichan Kala.
ATA-DARVAZA (means main gate) was the main entrance into the city. In the beginning of this century it was demolished and reconstructed in its present form.
PALVAN-DARVAZA (gates of hercules) comprises a 60 metre long passage covered by 6 domes and adjoining a big complex of religious, commercial and communal establishments. To the right of this gates at the entrance to Ichan-Kala was a slave market, which functioned till the year 1873.
MOKHAMMED AMIN KHAN MADRASSAH. A madrassah is an Islamic University Mokhammed Amin Khan madrassah (1852-1855) is the biggest building of its kind in Khiva and stands at the Ata-Darvaza gates near the entrance to Ichan-Kala. The building has been restored extensively and now houses the hotel Khiva.
THE KALTA (short) MINARET stands at the Mokhammed Amin Khan madrassah near the Ata - Darvaza gates. Construction was started in 1851 but in the following year it was discontinued. Khan Mokhammed Amin who had commissioned it died in one of his campaigns and his successors refused to carry on with the project. The Kalta Minaret, as it stands, has a diameter at the base of 14 m and height of 26m.
KUNYA ARK (old fortress). The complex was built in the 18th century during the rule Khan Arang. It comprised living quarters, a mosque, the palace of khan, the mint, his harem, the arsenal and powder magazine, the stables. Only a few of the buildings have survived.
As almost any other ancient city Khiva had its patron saint. At one time it was Shem the son of Noah. After the 13th century the people favored another name – that of Pakhlavan-pir (patron of strong men).
The government institutions were located at Kunya Ark (palace-fortress) at the western part of Ichan Kala. From the civil buildings of Kunya Ark only Kurinish-khona (Reception hall), mint and harem can be found today.
Kurinish-khona is a yard detached from the main area by the high serrated wall. There is a small round eminence at the center for yurt. Near it there is a glue-painted avian. On the marble pedestal of one of the avian columns the poems about righteous judgment of Agakhi, the famous Khiva poet, are carved. The walls are decorated by the carved clay bays and have the special place for Khan Throne
PAHLAVAN MAKHMUD was a furrier, who helped the poor, wrote poetry and was the strongest man in the kingdom. Since the 12th century he has been canonized as Khiva's protector. This mausoleum was constructed on the site of his furshop in 1810.
The cupola of the Pakhlavon-Makhmud mausoleum is unsurpassed in its simplicity, unforgettable for its luminating shade of turquoise. There is no site more sacred in this oasis city. The sufi poet with 338 rubai to his name and champion wrestler who lived on the threshold of the XIII-XIV centuries, was later canonized and is considered the patron saint of Khiva, referred to as a museum in the open
The ISLAM KHODJA minaret is the tallest in Khiva. It rises 45 meters side by side with the Islam Khodja madrassah, which was built in 1908. The structure is clearly visible from any part of the city.
The second tallest minaret in Khiva was built at the Djuma-mosque at the end of the 18th century. This minaret rises in the middle of Ichan Kala at the crossing of two main streets. One of the most important monuments of civic architecture in Khiva is the TASH-KHAULI palace (stone court) complex, which was built on the order of Allakulikhan during t he period from 1830 to 1838. There are 163 rooms in the complex. The ceremonial yards and some of the living quarters are decorated with majolica facing, mural paintings and carved wood, plaster and stone.
It has the strongly converged shape typical for Khiva minarets, and has no hanging lamp (in contrast to Bukhara minarets). It is possible to climb the Khodja Islam minaret all the way and from the platform on top you too could take some of the photos we show you in this issue of Discovery. Sunset is a much recommended moment for a photo shoot
JUMA MOSQUE. There are 212 columns inside the Djuma-Mosque carved over a time span of over 1000 years. Many of them have very unique ornamental carving ranging from inscriptions made in strict "kufi" style, carved very deeply into the different types of wood, and there is even a buddhist style carving. Columns from the XI century show plain carving like ornamental Gothic script. ?olumns of XV century bear the educational writings of "neskh", another Arabic script, and on recently made columns delicate flower patterns wind their way up towards the high ceiling. Juma Mosque is indeed an original museum of columns and wood carvers from all over Uzbekistan come here to learn
The HAREM of Khiva Khans (Tash hauli) was built in 1830-1832. Its layout and architectural as well as decorative features are in the classic harem style which every respectable family in Khiva held in high esteem. Naturally, we are all intrigued by the mere word “harem” and as your eyes take in the superb majolica's you may wonder what life behind these walls could have been like for the ladies then in the context of their time thought of their situation as perfectly normal. It is therefore not surprising that the first accounts of Harem life came from the pen of MacGahan, the American journalist who vividly recounts his adventure in 1873, upon the attack by the Russians, the crumbling harem, even describing the well in the inner courtyard, an area strictly prohibited to non-family members in his memoirs "The battle on the Oxus and the downfall of Khiva".
