Day 12 (July 10, 2023): Khiva

With our flight from Bukhara to Tashkent having arrived late last night, we only had six hours to enjoy our hotel room and get some rest before getting up for our flight to the western part of Uzbekistan.  It was. 4:15AM rise for a 5:15AM departure to Tashkent’s domestic terminal.  All went like clockwork and we were sitting at the departure area by 5:35AM.  We had another wonderful Uzbekistan Airways flight, landing early at 8:15AM.  

The Yandex app does not work in western Uzbek, so we fell into the hands of the taxi touts as we exited the airport.  Eventually, we gave into one of them — a history teacher who hustles on the side as a taxi driver to make ends meet.  He drove like a madman and was very chatty in hard-to-follow English, but he did manage to get us to our hotel alive!

By the time we got some breakfast at the hotel, the manager said he’d give us early access to our room.  By 11:15AM, we were in a taxi to Khiva’s Old Town, which is the epicentre of the key sights in Khiva.  The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for good reason.  From the moment you step into the Old Town, you feel transported back in time.  It is a “pinch me to ensure this is real” sort of place to visit.

The heat was unbearable, at 45C, making the Old Town almost deserted. We confess that it was really difficult to keep going, despite lots of hydration.  45C is simply misery, there is no way around it.  We managed to do five hours of touring, and we were proud of our efforts!

By the time we got into a stifling hot taxi for the ride back to the Farovon, we were fried like an onion.  After a rest, we capped the long day with a wonderful Italian dinner at the hotel’s Italian restaurant.

The view from our hotel at 5:10AM, as we prepared to leave for the airport to catch our flight to the western part of Uzbekistan.


Upon takeoff from Tashkent this morning.  The population stood at 2.9 million in 2022.  Most of Tashkent was levelled in the 1966 Tashkent Earthquake, but the Soviets rebuilt it as a model city.  For a time, it was the 4th largest city in the Soviet Union, after Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv. 

Enroute to Urgench in western Uzbekistan this morning, for much of the flight, the terrain below us was pure desert.

But as we neared Urgench, the land became fertile and green.  Upon descent into Urgench, we felt like we were about to land in the Garden of Eden!

On our 40-minute taxi ride from the Urgench Airport to Khiva, we passed a lot of agricultural land.  Cotton is one of the top crops in this part of the country.  Our taxi driver complained that the cotton industry is controlled by the newly re-elected President and his family.

This is the hotel where we stayed in Khiva:  The Farovon Khiva.  Just two years old, the Farovon is the largest hotel in the west of Uzbekistan, and it sets a new standard of pure luxury for this part of the country.

The inner courtyard of the Farovon Khiva Hotel.

Just to orient you a little, here is a map of Khiva’s Old Town, which is where we focused our sightseeing efforts.  The walls of the Old Town are 2.5 km long in total, enclosing an area of 26 hectares.

We are about to start a tour of Khiva’s Old Town.  But first, how about a look at lunch!  We followed Lonely Planet’s recommendation and ate at a place just inside the Old Town walls.  The top dish is Manti, an Uzbek meat dumpling dish.  Delicious!  Pam had a beet and apple salad.  All our dishes in Uzbekistan have been beautifully and carefully prepared and served.

As you can see in the map of Khiva’s Old Town above, there are four gates to the Old Town.  Most people enter by the West Gate, as we did, where they buy a ticket that is good for all the sites in Old Town for two days.  From top left going clockwise:  West Gate;  South Gate;  East Gate;  North Gate.

The first views that greets you when you enter Old Town from the West Gate. 

This colourful minaret is perhaps the most iconic structure in Khiva’s Old Town:  the Kalta Minor Minaret.  It was started in 1851 by a man who wanted to built a minaret so high that he would be able to see Bukhara (> 400km) from the top of it.  Sadly, he dropped dead four years into the project.

The entrance to the Kuhna Ark, which is the fortress within the Old Town that housed the rulers of Khiva.  It was built in the 12th century and expanded in the 17th century.

In the small building to the left of the entrance to the Ark in the photo above, there is an exhibition on the justice system in Khiva back in olden times.  Most striking were these four framed images showing four means of capital punishment.  From top left going clockwise:  being put in a sack with poisonous snakes;  being buried alive; being impaled;  being thrown from a minaret.  Pick your poison!

From inside the Kuhna Ark.

The view along the ramparts on the western wall of Old Town.


From inside the Kuhna Ark.

Two stunning views of Old Town from the ramparts of the Kuhna Ark.



A watch tower atop of the ramparts of the Kuhna Ark.


Rooms inside the Kuhna Ark.  In the photos below (top left going clockwise):  musicians;  the Kahn and a couple of his senior administrators;  making money in the Mint.



Views of the Islam Hoja Minarate, built in 1910.  Its turquoise and red tiling makes it look sort of like a lighthouse.  It is 57 metres tall.



The Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum.  Pahlavon Mahmud was a poet who became Khiva’s patron saint.  It’s iconic green tiling makes it one of Khiva’s most beautiful spots.

The Juma Minaret.  At 47 meters high, the Juma Minaret, which adorns the Juma Mosque (10th century - see photo below), is starting to lean.

The intricately carved pillars of the Juma Mosque, of which there are 218.

The South Walls of Old Town.

Mohammed Rakhin Khan Medressa (19th century).

Courtyard of the Tosh-Hovli Palace.  Built between 1832-41, it has more than 150 rooms and nine courtyards.

Examples of carved high ceilings in the Tosh-Hovli Palace.

The bedroom of the Kahn.  All I can tell you is that the Khans must’ve been very short men.  Why do I know this?  Because the doorway to the Kahn’s bedroom was so low that I whacked the top of my head on the way out and still have a huge bump to prove it!

 

Typical members of the court of the Khan having tea.

And now for a few random shots from our day in Old Town!

Four of the many statues that we saw.

And a couple of weddings passed through the streets as we were touring.  How this poor bride endured that dress in 45C heat is beyond us!

Back at the Farovon Khiva Hotel for dinner, we had a wonderful Italian meal, featuring this ‘pide’ — a pide is a Turkish pizza.  But note the accompanying delights, including tzatziki, salsa, hummus and jalapeños.