Khiva

KHIVA is the must-see city of Uzbekistan. Marooned in a desert and preserved as a museum-city, it offers an unparalleled insight into the days of the Khanates. With its madrassahs and mosques lovingly restored and intricate mosaics beautifully preserved, the city can have a slightly ghostly at dusk and dawn.

With so many buildings to choose from it’s hard to pick any for special mention! The Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum has a special significance for local people - dedicated to a local poet, the complex has a well in the courtyard. Drink once for 5 years’ health, twice for 10 years’ - but drink three times for instant death!

The Great Minaret is hugely tall, but an even taller one was planned (and never finished). The Khan of Khiva planned to spy on his rival, the Khan of Bukhara, from the top of it! The Caravanserai at the East Gate still fulfils its original function - only now it’s home to a branch of a national department store! Whilst staff go about their business inside, the holding-pens for slaves outside are clearly visible - a deterrent to shoplifters, perhaps?

Despite its status as a "museum city", Khiva still has a modern soul. The Bazaar and the Jummi Mosque outside the East Gate are the twin centres of town life, and great places to people-watch! If you wander around the city in the evening (when all the day-trippers have left) you are sure to be beseiged by curious children - not to mention their more reserved parents!

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