It's possible to climb this 57m tall minaret, Uzbekistan's highest, for fine views over the old city. Morning light offers the best views. With bands of turquoise and red tiling, it looks rather like an uncommonly lovely lighthouse.
© Anya Newrcha/Shutterstock
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.12 MILES
This palace, which means ‘Stone House’, contains Khiva’s most sumptuous interior decoration, dense with blue ceramic tiles, carved wooden pillars and…
0.05 MILES
This revered mausoleum, with its sublime courtyard and stately tilework, is one of the town’s most beautiful spots. Pahlavon Mahmud was a poet,…
0.17 MILES
This fat, turquoise-tiled minaret was begun in 1851 by Mohammed Amin Khan, who according to legend wanted to build a minaret so high he could see all the…
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Khiva's Ichon-Qala is one of the great highlights of Uzbekistan. The perfectly preserved medieval walled town is home to dozens of mosques, medressas and…
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To your left after you enter the West Gate stands the Kuhna Ark – the Khiva rulers’ own fortress and residence, first built in the 12th century by one Ok…
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At the back right corner of the throne room in the Kuhna Ark, a door in the wall leads to a flight of steps up to the watchtower, the original part of the…
0.33 MILES
One highlight for which no ticket is needed is the walk along the northwestern section of the Ichon-Qala wall. The stairs can be accessed at the North…
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Walk south from the Abdulla Khan Medressa to the Islom Hoja Medressa and minaret – Khiva’s newest Islamic monuments, both built in 1910. You can climb the…
Nearby Khiva attractions
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Walk south from the Abdulla Khan Medressa to the Islom Hoja Medressa and minaret – Khiva’s newest Islamic monuments, both built in 1910. You can climb the…
0.05 MILES
This revered mausoleum, with its sublime courtyard and stately tilework, is one of the town’s most beautiful spots. Pahlavon Mahmud was a poet,…
0.07 MILES
Almost in the centre of the Ichon-Qala, the large and atmospheric Juma Mosque is interesting for the 218 wooden columns supporting its roof – a concept…
0.07 MILES
From inside the Juma Mosque, you can sometimes climb the 82 very dark steps up to the pigeon-poop-splattered gallery of this 47m minaret, for fine views…
0.09 MILES
This medressa (1804–12) faces the Allakuli Khan Medressa and has a nearly matching facade. It houses an art museum.
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The tall Allakuli Khan Medressa is one of several buildings in the eastern section of the Ichan Qala built by Allakuli Khan in the 1830s and '40s. It…
0.11 MILES
The Old Town's East Gate, a long, vaulted 19th-century passage with several sets of immense carved doors, bridges the Anusha Khan baths and the bazaar…
0.12 MILES
This small mausoleum dates to 1310 when Khiva was under the Golden Horde of the Mongol empire. You might find people praying in front of the 19th-century…