UZ
Khiva
A walled desert city out of the Arabian Nights
A walled desert city out of the Arabian Nights
The old town of Khiva is entirely enclosed by massive mud-brick walls up to 10 metres high, punctuated by gates and bastions — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most complete walled cities in the world. You can walk stretches of the ramparts for views over the huddled minarets and domes within and the desert beyond, magical at sunrise and sunset when the mud brick turns to gold.
💡 Enter through the West Gate (Ota Darvoza); a single Itchan Kala ticket covers most monuments. Walk the walls at golden hour for the best light and views.
Khiva’s most beloved landmark — a squat, fat, unfinished minaret sheathed entirely in bands of glazed turquoise and green tile, so wide and jewel-like it stops everyone in their tracks. Intended to be the tallest in the Islamic world, it was left a stump when its khan died in 1855; the result is unique, unforgettable, and the symbol of the city.
💡 It’s right by the West Gate and impossible to miss — the tilework glows in low light; the neighbouring Muhammad Amin Khan madrasa (now a hotel) frames it beautifully.
The Kunya Ark, the khans’ fortified residence, holds a jewel of a summer mosque with exquisite blue tilework and a watchtower (Ak Sheikh Bobo) that gives the best rooftop panorama over the whole walled city. Across the town, the elegant Islam Khoja Minaret — the tallest in Khiva — can be climbed via a dark, narrow stair for another sweeping view over the Itchan Kala’s roofscape.
💡 Climb the Kunya Ark watchtower or the Islam Khoja minaret for the definitive view over the sea of minarets and domes — best at sunset; the Ark’s tiled mosque is stunning.
The Tash Hauli (‘Stone House’) palace is a maze of courtyards, a harem and reception halls smothered in some of the finest blue-and-white tilework and carved-wood columns in Central Asia — the opulent private world of the 19th-century khans. Around it, dozens of madrasas, mosques and mausoleums, including the revered Pakhlavan Mahmud complex, crowd the tiny walled city.
💡 The Tash Hauli’s tiled harem courtyard is the decorative highlight; the Pakhlavan Mahmud mausoleum’s turquoise-tiled interior is a serene, atmospheric pilgrimage site.
Khiva and the wider Khorezm region have their own culinary traditions within Uzbek cuisine. The local specialty is shivit oshi — striking green, dill-infused noodles served with a vegetable-and-meat stew — a Khivan dish you’ll find nowhere else and shouldn’t miss. Otherwise it’s the familiar, delicious range: Khorezm-style plov, shashlik, lagman, manti, tukhum barak (egg-filled pasta) and shurpa, with fresh non bread and green tea. Restaurants within the walls, some on rooftops with views over the minarets, serve it in atmospheric surroundings, and prices are low. Being remote and desert-bound, Khiva’s produce leans on melons, dried fruit and the hearty dishes that suit its climate. Try the green shivit oshi at least once, take a rooftop table at sunset for dinner over the golden walls, and enjoy some of the cheapest, most characterful dining on the Silk Road.
Enter the walled Itchan Kala through the West Gate to the jewel-like Kalta Minor minaret, then wander the tightly packed madrasas and mosques in the cool morning.
Tour the tiled harem courtyards of the Tash Hauli palace, then lunch on Khiva’s unique green shivit oshi dill noodles in an old-town restaurant.
Climb the Kunya Ark watchtower or the Islam Khoja minaret for the sweeping panorama over Khiva’s sea of minarets and domes, and visit the serene Pakhlavan Mahmud shrine.
Once the day-trippers leave, walk the ramparts at sunset as the mud-brick city turns to gold, then a rooftop dinner over the minarets — Khiva at its most magical.
Khiva is magical at dawn and dusk once the day-trippers leave and the walls glow gold — sleep inside the Itchan Kala, in a converted madrasa or merchant’s house, to enjoy it.
Khiva is far from the other cities — reach it by overnight train, a long desert drive from Bukhara (via ancient fortresses), or a short flight to nearby Urgench.
The bright-green, dill-infused shivit oshi noodles are a Khivan specialty found nowhere else — order them at least once; they’re delicious and unique.
A single Itchan Kala ticket covers most monuments and tower climbs — keep it handy; a couple of sites (some minarets) charge a small extra fee.
Khiva is desert and bakes in summer (near 40°C) — do the sights early and late, rest at midday; spring and autumn are far more comfortable.
The whole walled city is walkable in minutes and superb value — atmospheric guesthouses and local meals cost very little; it’s an easy, rewarding finale to the Silk Road.
Walking directions around the walled Itchan Kala (Yandex Maps also works well locally).
Free
The dominant ride-hailing app in Uzbek cities — handy for Urgench and getting to Khiva.
Free
Convert Uzbek som prices — handy given the large denominations.
Free
Multi-currency card with strong rates — useful for the region; carry som cash for the old town.
Free
Soviet-grand Tashkent, blue-domed Samarkand, living-museum Bukhara, walled Khiva and the craft valley of Fergana — Uzbekistan is the beating heart of the Silk Road.