Khiva Travel Guide – Must-visit town in Uzbekistan

Khiva (Itchan Kala), Uzbekistan is 900 km away from its capital, Tashkent. It’s a small town, somewhat isolated from the country’s other highlights such as Samarkand and Bukhara, and this may be enough to push Khiva to the bottom of your travel wish list. I also felt the same before I visited.

But this ancient town is different from the two other highlights, well preserved and renovated, so it certainly deserves to be among your travel destinations. On top of that, neither the town nor the local people are touristy, which makes roaming around the area very pleasant!

Why is Khiva so special among Uzbekistan’s historical sites?

What makes Khiva different from Samarkand and Bhukhara is the town’s authentic feeling. It may be because, while those two towns enjoyed several peaks of prosperity prior to changes caused by the arrival of Genghis Khan in the 13th century, Khiva‘s prosperity came much later in the 17th Century.

This means that historical facts are understood well, which has enabled many of the buildings to be preserved according to the original intention of the builder. Due to this accuracy and richness of knowledge of the town, it’s worth hiring a local guide to tell you about the history and buildings.

What to see and do in 1+ days in Khiva

If you hire a guide, my recommendation is to explore the town accompanied by the guide in the morning and let the person explain its history and buildings. Then, in the afternoon, spend more time at the places you liked. Additionally, visiting the old town in the early morning is highly recommended, when the streets are quiet and lit by the rising sun.

Our guide started the tour at Kalta Minorasi (above) which covered by beautiful turquoise-colored tiles, which stands in front of the west gate, Ota Darvoza. The minaret was supposed to be 80m in height, but the construction wasn’t completed, which is why it’s called “short minaret.” Ko-hna Ark is a palace where we were amazed by several beautiful rooms decorated with deep-blue tiles.

After the palace, we passed by Olloqulixon Madrasasi (below). The next stop was Juma Masjidi va Minorasi (below), which is one of the town’s oldest mosques. Unlike the other colorful buildings, it has a simple interior made of plain wood, and each column is adorned with different and beautiful carving.

Next, we headed to Islam-Khodja Complex, which contains the tallest minaret in the town. It was built during the last king of Khiva when modernization was sought being influenced by Soviet in the 19th century, while its architecture style follows that of the 14th century. You can actually climb up the 45-meter-high minaret to see the great views across the town.

After visiting Islam-Khodja Complex and climbing the minaret, don’t forget to drop by Pahlavon Mahmud Maqbarasi. It’s a shrine for a famous warrior and poet from the 13-14th century and features a beautiful turquoise-blue dome that you would have seen from the top of the minaret mentioned earlier. The interior is also beautiful, with blue decorations and Islamic patterns on the walls and ceiling. Many local people come here to pray, which gives it a special atmosphere. 

Lastly, my favorite place, Tash-Khauli Palace (Tash-Khovli Palace). It was a place that was built for and used by a king, Allakkuli-Khan, and mostly comprising rooms for his 4 wives and 150+ seraglio. The beautiful walls with sophisticated blue patterns in room after room are just amazing. Each room contains wooden pillars, all carved in different patterns, which adds a “warm” ambience to the blue-colored spaces. This concludes the tour with a guide and we had lunch, before exploring the town further on our own.

After your tour of the town, enjoy roaming and spending time where you want to.

In the afternoon, we explored by ourselves. We returned to a place we liked in the morning, visited new places, simply relaxed at a local cafe, and enjoyed dropping by galleries.

Roaming outside the wall

It’s also a good idea to venture outside the wall surrounding Itchan Kala. Wherever you go, you’ll always see the beautiful blue patterns on ceramic tiles against the blue-sky background.

While my husband chose to relax and spend time in a cafe with a nice local ambience, I went back to Tash-Khauli Palace (Tash-Khovli Palace) because I really liked the decoration.

Sunrise and sunset may be the best times to enjoy this Silk Road city.

It’s entirely possible to cover all of Khiva‘s key highlights in one day, or even half a day. But if your schedule permits, I’d highly recommend visiting the town at sunrise and sunset. The light from the rising and setting sun bathes the town in a very warm-looking color-palette.

One more great thing about Khiva is its local cuisine. Check out this post for special dishes that you can only enjoy in Khiva!