Khiva

Setting and history

Khiva sits on the left bank of the Amu Darya, about 40 km south of the river and 30 km from Urgench, at 95 metres above sea level, beside the Palvanyap canal — the ancient Kheikanik. The city covers 2,800 hectares and had 101,600 inhabitants at the start of 2026.

Archaeology dates it to the mid-1st millennium BCE, while legend ties its name to the Kheivak well dug by Shem, son of Noah. From the early 17th century Khiva was capital of the Khanate of Khiva, and in 1920–1924 of the Khorezm People’s Soviet Republic. Since 2017 it has again been a city of regional status.

What to see

Its heart is Itchan Kala, on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1990: Kalta Minor, the Konya Ark, the Juma Mosque, Toshhovli Palace, the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum and dozens of madrasas. In the outer town of Dishan Kala stand the Nurullabay Palace, the Kosh Gate and the Said Niyoz Sholikorboy complex, with the Qibla Tozabog summer palace on the outskirts.