Travel khiva



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Travil Khiva

TRAVEL KHIVA

Understand



View of the outer wall

Along with Samarkand and Bukhara, Khiva is an important and often overlooked historical site on what was once the Great Silk Road (Uzbek: Buyuk Ipak Yol'i). Famous for its long and brutal history as a slave trading post sandwiched in between the vast Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts, Khiva is now a quiet, sleepy oasis that awaits busloads of tourists instead of caravans of captives. It's difficult to imagine what exactly ancient Khiva was like, considering the historical areas were restored to a scrubbed and squeaky-clean look by the Soviets in the 1970s. However, the clustered array of mosques, madrassahs and tiled minarets within a area of less than 3km give you a sense of how crowded and bustling this town must have been throughout its history.

Khiva is divided into two distinct sections; one being the older, museum-like Ichon-Qala or Itchan Kala (literally: within the wall) where striking examples of Islamic architecture were built over the span of 600 years; and the modern Dichon-Qala (literally: outside the wall) where both the majority of the population live and where all of the modern buildings exist, but glimpses of Khiva's greatness as a center of Islamic power still linger. Today, the entire city is home to about 40,000 people. It's a quick 35km from the regional capital of Urgench and a mere 5km from the border of Turkmenistan.



History

According to legend, Khiva was founded about 2 500 years ago when a son of Noah, Shem, discovered a well in the middle of the desert exclaimed "Khi-wa!" (which locals will take delight in roughly translating as "sweet water"). For the next 1 000 years or so, the area was inhabited by settlements that used the nearby Amu-Darya river to irrigate agriculture. According to the archaeologists Khiva was founded in the 5th or 6th century. As Islam spread to the area, the first major structures were built near Shem's well, and it became known as a small trading post on the Silk Road. First written sources date from the 10th century. The Arab traveller Al Istachri mentions Khiva in his enumeration of the most important settlements in Chorezm. The Arab geographer Ibn Battuta visited Khiva in the 14th century. He praised the emir who was untiringly taking care of law and order and reported that the city was so full of people that it was almost impossible to find one's way in the crowd. It wasn't until the 16th century when Khiva was made capital of an Islamic Khanate (starting a bitter rivalry with another Khan 460 km down the Silk Road in Bukhara), that the majority of Khiva's immense architectural projects began and the town established itself as a center of power in the region. Locals will say (sometimes in hushed tones) that if Khiva didn't have a rivalry with nearby Bukhara, it would not be the significant site that it is today. In the 19th century a strong central power was created and taxes and money were introduced. For a long period of time Khiva was one of the most important markets of slaves in Central Asia. Slavery was only formally abolished during the October Revolution of 1917. Khiva with its 94 mosques and 63 madrassahs is considered an important center of Islam. Because of this significance, Khiva was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990.



Climate

Khiva almost has a two-season climate; with slivers of spring and fall in between frigid winters and blazing hot summers. It starts to get uncomfortably cold in Khiva by November, with temperatures hovering between -10°C and 5°C. The chill usually lasts well into mid-March; just in time for the Navruz holiday. Spring usually lasts around a month and a half and is usually one of the best times to visit. Summer arrives quickly, however, with temperatures reaching as high as 45°C by August. Luckily, it's a dry heat (rainfall and humidity are practically negligible) so walking around the city isn't too much of a burden.

Get in

Usually people travel to the regional capital of Urgench, whether it's by air, train, or taxi, and then take a taxi to Khiva. With the exception of flying where the rates are fixed (most of the time) you might be subject to ticket agents at the train or bus stations charging you a bit higher for a fare because you look like a tourist. Ask a guide or local for correct information, as Uzbeks are usually willing to assist you in getting the correct price. You will, however, be expected to haggle for the price of your cab everywhere, with the unusual exception of the taxi from the Urgench bazaar to Khiva (see "by car").



By air

Khiva is about 40 km away from Urgench Airport (IATA: UGC). Uzbekistan Airways operates two or three daily flights from Tashkent (flying time round one hour). Flights (as Sep 2019) were about €50 one way.

You can also reach Urgench about five times a week on Ural Airlines via Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow. Uzbekistan Airways operates to Moscow (VKO) and St.Petersburg.

Taxis from Urgench Airport to Khiva are about 60 000 sum (Aug'19) one way.



By train

Trains from Tashkent run daily and make the 16+ hour journey across the desert to Urgench, with several stops (Samarkand, Navoi etc.) along the way. Trains leave Tashkent in the evening and arrive in Urgench next day around noon. Trains in the opposite direction also run overnight. Depending on the class, you can get a 2-bunk coupy for 41 000 sum, a 4-bunk shared coupy for 25 000 sum, or you can rough it in plaskartnyy (hard-class) for the bargain price of 16 000 sum. The price for a place in a sleeping car is 50 000 UZS one way (2008). Taxis from Urgench Railway Station to Khiva are about 7 000 UZS one way. For the trolley bus see below.

As Urgench is on a dead-end track some trains do not go there but they do stop at "Tortkol" (sometimes spelled "Turtgul"), which is a 20 minutes taxi ride to Urgench, across Amu-Darya river. Urgench also has one direct sleeper train a week to Andijan in the Ferghana valley, via Tashkent. Both Urgench and Tortkol have direct trains to Saratov and Volgograd in Russia (via Kazakhstan).

Train timetables in English and Russian (incl. prices [in Russian roubles] and on-line booking) are available online.

The new Khiva railway station has opened since June 2019. A train to Buchara leaves three times a week at 8.57 AM and costs 80.000 som per person. The trip takes 6 hours. You'll arrive at a station called Buchara, but it is actually 10 kilometers from Buchara. Skip the annoying taxi drivers outside the train station that ask far too much for the ride that they will tell you to be 15 kilometers. Instead take a (mini)bus, just 200 meter from the station near the road (1000 som per person).

There is a new train running most days: Khiva (dep 1428), stopping at Urgench (arr 1458), Bukhara (arr 2233), Samarkand (arr 0238) and Tashkent (0658).



By bus

If you're really budgeting your cash, you can catch a bus to Urgench from the Hippodrome station in Tashkent. The good news is the journey doesn't take much longer than the train (20 hours) and is only about 7000 sum. The bad news is you'll be sitting in a cramped space without toilets (the driver decides when to make a pit stop) and minimal ventilation (forget about air conditioning).

There are daily busses from Bukhara to Urgench, leaving from Bukhara Avtovoksal. The buses have no air conditioning. The journey time is about 8 hours and the price about 10.000 UZS on way. There is no fixed timetable, the buses leave, when all seats are occupied. As at April 2012, the road between Bukhara and Urgench is in fairly poor condition and the bus journey can take up to 10 hours. Uzbek buses are not permitted to drive after 10pm so a bus leaving after 12 may have to make an overnight stop before reaching Bukhara, which will be at a restaurant. Passengers can sleep on the bus.

Collective taxis from Urgench to Khiva leave from Urgench Bazaar near the Dynamo Stadium. The taxis leave when all seats are occupied and the price is about UZS 1.000 one way. Taxis will drop you at the Northern Gate of Khiva Old Town.



By car

Inter-city "taxi" services are essentially a collection of informal drivers who wait to fill up their cars with passengers and then drive them off to their destinations. They usually charge per passenger; however, you can buy all the seats in a car (typically 1 in the front and 3 in the back) if you're willing to spend the cash. From Bukhara, the next closest Silk Road site, the 460km trip in a shared taxi should cost between 60000-80000 sum per person [Sep 2012]. The price can sometimes depend on the type of vehicle you're negotiating for, with Daewoo Ticos (similar to Ford Fiesta) costing less and Daewoo Nexia and Matiz brands (simiar to Honda Accord) costing a bit more.

One you reach Urgench, you can either negotiate for a local taxi to take you directly to Khiva, which usually costs about 8000 sum for the entire car. A cheaper way is to negotiate a ride to the western side of the Urgench Bazaar (inner-city trips shouldn't cost you more than 1500 sum at the most). There you'll find the official Khiva taxi stand, which is a row of Daewoo Tico and Matiz brand vehicles all in a line. On average, it takes between 10-15 minutes for a car to fill up and the cost is about 1000 sum per person, flat.

Trolleybus: An interesting (and cheap) way to get to Khiva from Urgench is via the trolleybus, which you can pick up near the Urgench Bazaar. At 1200 sum [Jan 2018], it's a bargain and it allows you to see the countryside between Urgench and Khiva at a snail's pace. It will also drop you off right in front of the northern gate of the Ichon-Kala with the rest of the taxicabs. Trolleybusses leave Urgench every 30 minutes during daytime and the journey takes about 60 minutes.

Khiva is about 1390 km from Andizhan, 470 km from Bukhara, 1370 km from Fergana, 630 km from Karshi, 740 km from Samarkand, 1270 km from Kokand, 200 km from Nukus, 750 km from Shakhrisabz, 1020 km from Tashkent and 850 km from Termez.

Get around

Cabs don't run in the Ichon Qala, so walking from sight to sight is your only choice! Since the city is so compact, it's very easy to take a leisurely stroll around the city.

Outside the walls, Khiva is still a very walkable city. You can access the main bazaar, either through the Caravanserai through the Ichon-Qala east gate or you can walk around the Ichon-Qala walls on the north side until you see the produce sellers sitting near the western wall. A few of the better authentic Uzbek restaurants lie within a half-kilometer of the Ichon-Qala walls as well as some great beer stands. If you want to explore the residential northern and western ends of town, flag down an informal "taxi" and negotiate a fare, which should run between 1 500 and 3 000 sum per hour.


  • Toprak-Kala

  • Koj-Krylgan-Kala

  • Ayaz-Kala

Talk

You'll find English spoken inside the Ichon-Qala at hotels and through a handful of the guides at the main tourism bureau. In the Dichon-Qala, you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone speaking English, unless you run into some local school children who want to practice their skills on you from their English classes.



  • Uzbek phrasebook

  • Russian phrasebook

Because Khiva is located in the Khorezm province, the locals speak a dialect of Uzbek that is actually closer to Turkmen called "Khorezmcha". If you've been feverishly practicing your Uzbek in elsewhere in Uzbekistan and now find that you can't understand a word of what a local Khivan is saying to you, don't worry; they may not be able to understand you either. In that case, try falling back on Russian.

See


Kalta Minor minaret



  • Kutli Murad Inak Medressa. The medressah was built in the beginning of the 18th cent. It has 81 pupils' cells. It was one of the wealthiest schools in Khiva and possessed a lot of lands. It corresponds the traditional type of medressahs of the 17th and 18th cent. The galleries with arcades, the round towers at the corners and the economical use of glazed tiles remember the traditions of architecture in Khorezm. It has a beautiful carved wooden door with floral and geometric ornaments. The cells are vaulted, have a fire place and are lighted by a window in or above the door.  edit

  • Khan Anush Mohammed's Bath, (beside Ak Mosque). The building with a dome beside Ak Mosque is called Khan Anush Mohammed's Bath. The main part of it is subterranean in order th keep the walls steadily warm. It has all the comforts of an oriental bath: vestibule, dressing room, lavatory, basin, well with cold water and floor heating. It is considered as one of the most interesting secular buildings of the 17th cent. in Central Asia.  edit

  • Uc Avlija Mausoleum, (east of Itchan Kala, beside Tash Chauli). Uc Avlija is called the mausoleum of the three holy men or mausoleum of three great dervishs. Portal and dome provide a rather medieval impression. The masuoleum is thought to date to the 16th cent.  edit

  • Tash Chauli. This is the new palace of the rulers of Khiva. Tash Chauli means "palace of stones". It was built in the first half of the 19th cent. during the reign of Khan Allakuli. The palace has more than 160 rooms, 5 courtyards and a strong wall with many round towers. The Harem's Courtyard is also surrounded by high brick walls with towers. It is the oldest part of the building and is rectangular in plan. It is paved and has a well. The door to the palace and the entrance are very narrow. It is easy to get lost in the labyrinth of corridors. Today it accomodates a permanent exhibition of the museum of Khiva. The khan's wives lived in the southern part of the harem, whereas his relatives on his mother's side lived in the less favourable parts of the harem. The courtyard is ornamented by 5 high Aiwans. Carved wooden columns on marble bases carry the ceiling whichn is decorated with paintings and the walls are masked with blue tiles. Even the righful wives of the khan lived like slaves. They weaved carpets, made embroideries and sewed. They could leaved the palace at rare occasions only and then they went in a car covered by felt and their companions with their white sticks removed everybody who came into their way. Ishrat Chauli or Mikhman Chauli means "courtyard of guests" and was the place where receptions were held. The throne room was in the first floor and the guets' rooms in the ground and in the first floor. The building is ornamented with a frieze of blue tiles with verses of the poet Agekhi. In the center of the courtyard are two brick fundations, about 20 cm high, for the khan's winter yurts. Ars Chauli. the courtyard of justice is similar to Ishrat Chauli, but its square base has twice its size. The towers at the corners and the aiwans are rather high. The Ars Chauli has tweo doors, the main entrance and the door of the condemned through which the prisoners sentenced to death went to their execution. Acoording to the traditions of Khiva every nobleman, governour and also the khan himself had to devote at least 4 hours per day to the administration of justice. He had to deal with all kinds of cases from theft of chicken to capital crimes. The khan usually went to the court of justice after the prayer at noontime.  edit
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