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  Khiva Attractions

      WALLS & GATES           
 Ata-Darvaza
 Bagcha-Darvaza
 Gandimyan-Darvaza
 Khazarasp-Darvaza
 Kosh-Darvaza
 Palvan-Darvaza
 Tash-Darvaza
 The walls of Dishan-Kala
 The walls of Ichan-Kala
               
MOSQUES             
 Ak
 Atadzhan-tura
 Bagbanli
 Dzhuma
 Hasan Murad Kushbegi
 Sayid Niyaz Shalikarbai
 Shaikh Mukhtar Ata
 Yar Muhammad Devan
           
MADRASAHS           
 Abdulla Khan
 Abdurasulbay
 Allah Kuli
 Amir Tura
 Arab Muhammad Khan
 Atajanbay
 Bikanjan Bika
 Dost Alyam
 Hajash Marama
 Hojashberdibiya
 Ibrahim Khodja
 Islam Khodja
 Kazy Kalyan
 Khorezmshakh
 Mamat Maram
 Matniyaz Devan-begi
 Matpanabay
 Matrasulboy Mirzaboshi
 Mazari Sharif
 Muhamad Amin Inaq
 Muhammad Amin Khan
 Muhammad Rakhimkhan2
 Musa Tura
 Palvan Kari
 Qutlugh Murad Inaq
 Sayid Muhammad Khan
 Shergazi Khan
 Tolib Makhsum
 Tort Shavvaz
 Yaqubbai Khodja
 Yusuf Yassaulbashi
              
MINARETS              
 Abdal Bobo
 Bikajan-Bika
 Chilli Avliya
 Islam Khodja
 Dzhuma
 Kaltar
 Kaptarkhon
 Muhammad Maram
 Palvan Kari
 Sayyid Niyaz Shalikarbay
 Shakhimardon
 Shikhmavlon
 Tort Shavvaz
 Tura Murad-Tura
           
MAUSOLEUMS         
 Abdal Bobo
 Bibi Hojar
 Pakhlavan Mahmud
 Payando
 Sayyid Alovaddin
 Sayyid Muham.Makhiruy
 Shaikh Mavlon Bobo
 Shakalandar Bobo
 Shakhimardan
 Tugon Turak
 Uch Avliya Bobo
 Yunusakhan
 CARAVANSERAI & TIMS 
 Allah Kuli Khan
 Allah Kuli Khan Tim
 Palvan Kari Trade House
   
PALACES and HOUSES  
 Arka Tozabog
 Baghishamal
 Chadra Khauli
 Islam Khodja residence
 Khudavbergan Devanov
 Kibla Tozabog
 Kunya Ark
 Matvafo Karvanboshi
 Nurullaboy
 Tash Khauli
             
H O T E L S              
  Arkonchi
  Sobir Arkonchi
  Malika Khorezm
  Malika-Heivak
  Malika
  Orient Star Khiva
  Shahrezada
  Islambek

- Khiva pictures -







Khiva / Khorezm / History/ Kheivak Well / Shem / Kunya-Urgench / Gurganchi

Khiva is ancient Chorasmia and later known as Khwarizm and Khorezm. It is formerly a large khanate (kingdom) of West Central Asia. Located south of the Aral Sea and is now part of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The
ancient city Khiva is located in Uzbekistan and is famous for its many historic buildings which are preserved as a museum like walled city. Khiva is most intact of the ancient cities of Uzbekistan. Most of its historical buildings are of 19th century creation, and because of the excellent condition of its architecture, Khiva gives an excellent idea of what other cities of Central Asia may have been like before.

Khiva was not from the beginning the capital city of Khorezm. Historians tell, it was happened in 1589 when the Amu Darya, (ancient Oxus; Turkmen Amuderya; Uzbek Amudaryo; Tajik Dar'yoi Amu - large river originating in the lofty Pamirs Plateau, Central Asia, about 2495 km (about 1550 mi) in length) had started back from doomed former capital city Gurganchi (old Urgench). Amu Darya passed through the Khanate and emptied in the Caspian Sea providing the ancient kingdom with water as well as with a waterway to Europe. Over the centuries the river has shifted its course several times. The last turn of Amu Darya at the end of 16th century has killed Gurgangi. 150 km (about 93 mi) northwest of Khiva stand what had remained of the ancient capital. The ruins now are situated in Turkmenistan, in the neighborhood with the village called Kunya-Urgench, which means, "Old-Urgench".


Khorezm has put up great resistance to such conquerors as Alexander the Great and then Arabs of Kuteyba Ibn Muslim in AD 680. They attacked Gurganchi, but were unable to win full control over Khanate. Only Genghis Khan's associates for the first time badly conquered Gurganchi. They invaded Khorezm and besieged Gurganchi.
Khiva - Kheivak WellIn six month of the siege, when Mongols tore down the dams on Amu Darya, Gurganchi was destroyed by water and fell. Then they massacred 100,000 inhabitants of the city, other ones were enslaved. Each soldier of Mongol's army gained 24 slaves from Gurganchi. Only 200 years later the capital of Khorezm was fully restored and became same populous.

Five times Tamerlane moved forward to seize Khorezm, but only in 1388 he was able to take full control of that region.

However, conquerors were not able to annihilate this heroic and glorious city, but act of God was. When the capital was moved to a new place it was undoubtedly one of worse periods of Khorezm's history. Although, with time khanate will flourish again, and for a short period, Khiva will become the spiritual center of the Islamic world.

In 1589, when Khiva became a main city of khanate, it was a small fortified city with a history approximately ten centuries long. Its legend of origin is that the Kheivak Well with extraordinary tasty water, around which the city grew up, was dug at the direction of Shem, son of the biblical Noah. The big well can still be seen today in Ichan-Kala -  inner city of Khiva.

Russia annexed part of the khanate in 1873 (partially because of the slave trade of Khiva that caused terror in southern Russia as Turkmen raiders snatched peasants from their farms and sold them in the slave markets of Khiva and Bukhara). In 1919 the USSR deposed the khan of Khiva, dissolving the khanate. Khiva became (1920) the Khorezm Soviet People's Republic, and in 1924 it was absorbed into the Uzbek SSR and the Turkmen SSR, which in turn both became independent countries in 1991.
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Khiva Uzbekistan
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