Things to do
6-
Islam Khoja Minaret
Khiva's tallest structure rises from a small madrasa in the southeast quarter, banded in turquoise and finished in 1910 for a reforming vizier. A dark spiral stair of roughly a hundred steps climbs to the gallery, with no handrail and little headroom. Anyone uneasy in tight spaces should skip it; the view over the walled town rewards those who go up.
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Itchan Kala
Mud walls enclose the whole of old Khiva, a dense grid of madrasas, minarets and palaces small enough to cross in ten minutes and rich enough to hold attention for a day. A single ticket covers most of the interiors. Summer heat on the Khorezm plain is severe, so the walls are best walked at dawn.
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Juma Mosque
More than two hundred carved wooden columns hold up the flat roof of Khiva's Friday mosque, some salvaged from buildings centuries older than the present hall. There is no portal and no dome; light falls through openings in the ceiling onto the forest of posts. The cool dimness makes it the natural stop at midday.
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Kalta Minor
Squat, banded in turquoise and sea green, the unfinished minaret at the west gate was meant to rise far higher before its khan died and work stopped. What is left is a wide stump of glazed brick that dominates the approach. There are no stairs and no interior, so it serves as a photograph and a landmark for orientation.
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Kunya-Ark
Behind its own wall inside the old town, the khans' residence holds a throne court, a summer mosque tiled floor to ceiling in blue, a mint and a harem. A watchtower in the corner gives the view over the rooftops of Itchan Kala. The climb is short, the steps are steep, and the platform fills at sunset.
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Tash Hauli Palace
The khan's town palace packs three courtyards behind a plain wall: a harem with an aiwan for each wife, a reception court, and a hall where cases were heard. Tilework here runs to whole walls of blue and white, and the painted ceilings are original. It is easy to walk past the entrance, which sits on a side lane off the main axis.