03 / Khiva
Khiva
Itchan Kala, Khiva's inner walled city, is small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes and dense enough to hold a lifetime of detail — the whole enclosure is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The unfinished Kalta Minor minaret, wrapped entirely in turquoise tile, was meant to be tall enough to see all the way to Bukhara before construction stopped in 1855. At dusk, when the tour groups thin out, Khiva is quieter and more atmospheric than almost anywhere else on the Silk Road.
Worth your time
- The full walled circuit of Itchan Kala
- The turquoise, unfinished Kalta Minor
- Sunset light on the western gate, Ota Darvoza
- Quiet evening streets once the day-trip groups leave
In pictures
