The Walled City of Khiva

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Khuna Ark, Khiva, Uzbekistan — The Khuna Ark

An interesting 18-hour overnight train travels from Tashkent to the town of Urgence from where it is a 30-minute shared taxi ride to the ancient city of Khiva. Buy a soft sleeper in a 4-berth compartment but make sure to bring along some local vodka and cookies to make a lot of new friends on the train.

We get lost in Uzbekistan’s walled city of Khiva which is surrounded by 10-metre-high brick walls with 10th century foundations!

The people of Central Asia, including the Uzbeks, are friendly and very hospitable. During the long train ride, be prepared to act as an entertainer to the entire carriage as people will congregate around a lonely foreigner to listen to stories, see photographs, and to share their food and drinks, in particular, their vodka.

While few people speak English, body language with constant smiling opens the hearts for understanding and for developing fond memories.

Train from Tashkent to Khiva, Uzbekistan — Train from Tashkent to Khiva

Why Travel The Walled City of Khiva?

The low-down: Khiva is debatably the highlight of Uzbekistan’s Sil Road cities. The inner town, Ichan-Kala, is surrounded by ancient fortification walls and four imposing gates. The city inside the walls is packed with too many architectural wonders to count.
The brightest highlight? The entire Ichan-Kala is the highlight of the city. Though to choose the brightest highlight, it has to be the 10th century (and rebuilt in the 18th century) Juma Mosque with its 212 intricately carved wooden columns.
Intrepid destination? Khiva is a great springboard for intrepid adventures to the desert castles of Khorezm and the Aral Sea.
Globerovers score (10 is highest): Of the three Uzbek cities, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, the highest score, 8, goes to the latter. So much to see inside and outside the Ichan-Kala, as well as places of significance far outside of the city.

The Itchan Kala (Ichon-Qala)

Modern-day Khiva is a city of more than 50,000 inhabitants. The ancient inner city (Itchan Kala) is surrounded by 10-metre-high plastered brick walls with foundations laid during the 10th century. The current walls were erected in the late 17th century and have often been repaired and partly rebuilt since then.

The old city of Khiva retains more than 50 historic monuments such as mosques, madrassa, bathhouses, mausoleums, harems and an ark, as well as more than 200 houses built during the 18th century.

Old city walls, Khiva, Uzbekistan — Old city walls of Khiva

View over the Itchan Kala, Khiva, Uzbekistan — View over the Itchan Kala

In the centre of the city is the Juma (Friday) Mosque which was established during the 10th century and rebuilt in the 18th century. However, of the 212 intricately carved wooden columns inside the mosque, several date back to the 10th century while others are from the 15th to 18th century.

Juma Mosque, Khiva, Uzbekistan — Juma Mosque

Minaret of the Juma Mosque, Khiva, Uzbekistan — Minaret of the Juma Mosque

Entrance door of the Juma Mosque, Khiva, Uzbekistan — Minaret of the Juma Mosque

Areas Outside Khiva

While three to four days are enough to explore the entire Itchan Kala with all of its interesting buildings, an additional few days could be spent exploring the surrounding areas such as the Aral Sea and the town of Mo’ynoq to the north.

Once a thriving fishing town on the shores of the lake, Mo’ynoq now lies about 150 km from the rapidly receding shoreline of the Aral Sea.

The Aral Sea was once the 4th largest body of saline water in the world, but over the past 50 years it has been steadily drying up, mainly due to Soviet mismanagement of the natural resources.

Ships that once floated in the blue waters now stand rusting in the sun and wind at the famous ship graveyard. Mo’ynoq is about 400 km north of Khiva and is best reached by hiring private transportation.

☛ Read more: 10 Great experiences in Uzbekistan

Khiva has a wide variety of accommodation in guesthouses, most notably the B&B Meros which is a lovely house in the old city of Itchan Kala. To splurge, stay in the Orient Star Khiva or the Bek Khiva Hotel.