THE MINARETS OF KHIVA.
Khiva is an oasis surrounded by two deserts. This city is approximately 2,526 years old!
A chain of minarets stretches from west to east through Ichan-Kala and Dishan-Kala (the outer city), creating Khiva's unique silhouette. According to one theory, these slender towers served as beacons for trade caravans along the Silk Road, and later became religious buildings for calling Muslims to prayer.
Khiva's most recognizable minaret is the wide and squat Kalta Minar, with its colorful patterns on a turquoise background. It is very photogenic, entirely covered in tiles. You will definitely not find anything like it in all of Uzbekistan! You cannot enter the minaret's interior. It was conceived as the tallest structure, offering a view of Bukhara, but ironically, it only reached 29 meters: the ruler who initiated the century-long construction project died, and there was no money to continue the work.
Khiva's tallest minaret is the elegant Islam Khoja, rising almost 57 meters. It is the second tallest minaret in Central Asia. Only the Kutlug-Timur Minaret in Urgench is taller, and slightly lower is the Kalyan Minaret in Bukhara. Like most Khorezm minarets, it tapers toward the top and is crowned with a multicolored rotunda.
In short, unique structures!
Khiva - Bukhara - Samarkand.
We visited these three completely different cities in this order, and I didn't regret it at all! But, let's take each one in turn!
If you want to soak up the spirit of history, be sure to start with Khiva, an open-air museum that was once the heart of the Khorezm Khanate. This is a place where great human history was made, where trade caravans traveled along the Great Silk Road, where the tales of the Arabian Nights come to life, where, even in the 21st century, cute donkeys harnessed to carts still trudge along asphalt roads, just as they did centuries ago, where harvests ripen right in the courtyards of the mahalla, and where Russians are treated with respect (this applies, incidentally, to all of Uzbekistan)! This is a unique city; you won't find another like it. For me personally, it was one of the most powerful experiences; the city truly impressed me, above all, with its authenticity and atmosphere. We spent four days here, but I would have stayed longer...
Most of the sights have survived to this day almost in their original form! All of this is concentrated in the inner city (Ichan-Kale); its outer part (Dishan-Kale) is not as well preserved.
According to legend, the city was founded around a well dug by one of Noah's sons!
Khiva also specializes in fish! Yes! I ate my fill of fish here!!! They specially breed it, despite the salt marshes all around... Khiva isn't samsa or pilaf—it's carp 👍!