We are in Khiva and I will try to make one post on some highlights. It won’t be easy as the entire Ichan-Qala, inner town, was a highlight in itself. I will break down our time here in different ways, but here are a few highlights.

The first photo was called the “Short minaret” or Kalta Minor. It was built by Mohammed Amin Khan, who according to legend wanted to build a minaret so high he could see all the way to Bukhara. He started building it in 1851. Unfortunately, the khan died in 1855 with his turquoise-tiled minaret only about one-third finished. The next khan that succeeded him didn’t like it and so stopped construction, leaving more or less what we see today, a short, fat minaret. Kalta Minor is about 48 feet wide at its base and 95 feet high. It was supposed to be some 230 to 330 feet tall, depending on who you believe. This was Vicky’s favorite landmark in Khiva.

I’m not sure which mosque and madrassah are in the second photo. This was near the south gate so we passed this many times on our walks into and out of inner town. This photo was the first evening that we arrived, in very late afternoon.

I’m also not sure which entrance is shown in the third photo but I believe it’s part of the Kuhna Ark which was the Khiva rulers’ own fortress and residence, within the inner town, sort of a town within a town. It was first built in the 12th century but was then expanded by khans in the 17th century. It included the khans’ harem, mint, stables, arsenal, barracks, mosque, and jail.

The fourth photo was taken from the watchtower of the Kuhna Ark. At the back of the throne room, a door in the wall led up a flight of steps to the watchtower. We had to pay extra for this but it was well worth it. The lower portion of the photo is all part of the Kuhna Ark.

The last photo is Pakhlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum with its emerald green dome topped with a large brass finial. It’s a shrine to Khiva’s patron saint who was a fur hat maker and a famous poet. The mausoleum is the burial complex of the Khiva Khans.