A fairy-tale city, an open-air museum, a historical and archaeological reserve - all this is about the old (if more precisely, very ancient) part of Khiva.
Many centuries ago, eastern cities were built according to a special principle, of three parts: the suburb - Dishan-Kala, the city, surrounded by protective walls - Ichan-Kala and the fortress - Kunya-Ark.
The respectable age of Khiva, which is more than 2.5 thousand years old, explains the absence of an unfortified part, but now, thanks to the efforts of the restorers, Ichan-Kala now looks exactly the same as it did centuries ago.
It is surrounded by a powerful clay wall up to 10 meters high, 5-6 meters wide and 6 km long, with four gates to each side of the world. The internal structure also remained unchanged and if you try hard, you can see more than 60 monuments of history and architecture, such as: the inner stronghold of Kunya-Ark, the “carved” palace of Tash-Khauli, the minarets of Kalta Minor, Islam-Khoja, Madrasah Muhammad Amin- Khan, the mausoleum of Palvan Mahmud and more.
Ichan-Kala is the first UNESCO World Heritage site in Central Asia. Released on Soviet screens in 1970, the film The End of the Ataman was partially filmed here. Ichan-Kala played the role of Suydun fortress from the film. Visiting this city you will have an idea of what the medieval cities of all Asia looked like.
Even people live here! True, only 300 families engaged in crafts that have been handed down from generation to generation for more than one century, which only enhances the amazing atmosphere of this place.
