Description of the attraction
The Ichan-Kala complex is the historical core of the city of Khiva, surrounded by fortress walls. This architectural ensemble, located on an area of 1 km2, consists of many historical buildings, the earliest of which date back to the 14th century. Behind thick walls with four fortress gates, there are narrow streets built up with oriental palaces, mosques, madrasahs, baths, trading domes and other obligatory structures of any medieval Central Asian town. In 1968, the Ichan-Kala complex was recognized as an urban conservation area. This ensemble was the first object of Uzbekistan to which UNESCO drew attention.
According to local urban legends, clay, identical to the one from which the Prophet Muhammad built Medina, was added to the building material that was used to build the fortress walls around Ancient Khiva. The walls surrounding Ichan-kala, which in translation means "Inner City", reach 10 meters in some places. Their thickness is 6 meters. Straight sections of the walls are interspersed with rounded towers used for observation of the surroundings. Besides the walls, the inner city of Khiva was also surrounded by a moat with water. Now the remains of the moat can be seen on the south side of the citadel. The city gates are fortified with towers and galleries, from where it was possible to shoot back from the enemy if necessary. Covered passages topped with domes begin behind the gate.
Near the Western Gate is the Kunya-Ark fortress, which began to be built back in the 5th century, when a caravanserai with a water source existed on the site of Khiva. In the immediate vicinity of this citadel, there are the Muhammad Amin-khan madrasah and the majestic Kalta-Minar minaret. In general, all the sights of Ichan-Kala are close to each other, you can see them in about two hours.
