In this video I'm taking you to Ichan Kala Khiva and so many other beautiful places in this historical city let's start
I came to the Jumma Mosque which is almost entirely made of wood
welcome to Uzbekistan
I'm visiting Khiva from Bukhara one of the most amazing cities on the silk route click
on the link above if you haven't checked the video already
One of the most incredible desert cities in the entire world it was a center of excellence and learning a major
trading hub on the silk route that has been frozen in time so we could come and enjoy
here I'm super excited to be here I'm here for two days and I will show you all the major
highlights a lot of tips what to see what not to do here in this beautiful beautiful
city so without wasting more time let's start
The most important thing to know about Khiva is that there are two parts one is Ichan Kala
or inside the Fortress Dishankala outside the fortress I'm standing in Ichan Kala
and you will need to buy a ticket to come inside in the evenings there's no ticket they
just open the barriers you can walk in but during the day you need the ticket it's roughly
twelve dollars it covers everything and I would recommend getting the ticket like the
full ticket because it gives the access to everything keep your ticket safe though because
you will need to scan that QR going into different places and it's valid for two days so this
is behind me is the map of the entire I also recommend getting a guide here it is roughly
around forty dollars they will show you around and then you can room roam around on your
own we're gonna go to our first stop which is quite um an interesting thing because you
will see this from quite a distance there's so much more to Uzbekistan than just Samarkand
don't forget to check my Uzbekistan playlist for some amazing travel tips and
also food recommendations click on the link above first up is the tallest tower in Uzbekistan
and we are going to climb it now to go up um morning time is the best because you get
the best light the sun is that side so you can see the Ichan Kala and beautiful beautiful
morning light let's go by the way if you're claustrophobic or you don't like narrow spaces this is not for you
Islam Khoja Minaret is one of the symbols of Uzbekistan and at 56 meters it
is actually taller than the Tower of Bukhara such an anti-climax it's closed for restoration
for six months so can't climb up I've seen photos and it looks really beautiful give
it a try when you're here let's start seeing the city
this behind me is the Islam Khoja Madrasa part of the same complex of the Tower and built
by the prime minister of the time of Hanate of Khiva
I'm not really a museum person
but this one is special because it's dedicated to the woodwork a really special skill from
Khiva so there's so many beautifully carved doors pillars and so much more I really love this museum
It was a big educational center people would come from far and wide
to learn here its residents were committed not only to education but also to outdo each
other and for that they built all of these beautiful madrasas they are 54 inside Ichan Kala
and more than 60 when it comes to entire city of Khiva now most of them have been converted
into museums or exhibitions they have really beautiful courtyards I would definitely recommend
stepping into a few this one is opposite the Citadel and has some cool photographs especially
of the last ponds which obviously was like from the early 1920s but definitely definitely recommend stepping into this one
just when I established Khiva as the brick and tile
work masterpiece in my mind I came to the Jumma mosque which is almost entirely made
of wood these pillars all of them are carved separately each of them is unique some going
back as old as the 10th Century there are no nails used in the construction of any of
these pillars or most of the woodwork around here ever is famous for its wood work there are
231 columns here and this place is absolutely marvelous another amazing thing about this
place is the play on light come at the time when the sun is at angle and you will find
out what I'm talking about another little thing that you must do is take a photo with
chugirma so this is chugirma and this is what you look like do you ever wanted to figure
out how you look like after an afro this is the closest you will get to it
perhaps the most prominent facade and the dome in the entire city of river belongs to
the mausoleum of an unlikely character Pahlwan Mahmud now he was not only a wrestler he
was also a philosopher and a poet and really strong of character as well as being physically
strong it said that he was defeated only once when he found out that his opponent would
be executed if he lost so he was quite an inspiration for people in Iran even when they
go for wrestling matches they pray to him even today and it obviously he was quite an
inspiration for the people because you will see some graves inside of the Khans of Khiva
who chose to be buried beside him the mausoleum is not just about that though the level of
artwork the tile work is just unbelievably incredible and this is one place you don't
want to miss even if the ticket is not included in the overall ticket you will have to buy that separately
the good thing about Khiva is that everything is located right next to each other and it's
really easy to walk around but I would not recommend um doing the day trip from Tashkent
because honestly you wake up really early you'll get there like after midnight you'll
be really tired I would definitely recommend spending the night or two here just like I
am because you get to experience it after dark which is really nice and also you get
to come here early in the morning around 8 A.M which is great because you get to you
know walk around in an empty city get to experience the desert city part of it by the way don't
forget to check out the doors there absolutely magical for someone like me who loves doors
and wood carving the city is a gold mine
these are the walls of the Citadel of Khiva and this behind me is the Western gate this is where I got the ticket
right next to the Western gate is the star of Khiva the Kalta Tower every photo you see
of Khiva will have this in it because it's so beautiful and unique there's literally
no tower like this anywhere else and it's so beautifully decorated so the story goes
that the patron who wanted to build this wanted it to be higher than Bukhara but sadly he
died in the battle and it was pretty much stopped here now they didn't want it to be
just like you know a stub sitting in the center so they decorated it so beautifully in that
amazing Khiva style this is end result I don't know if it would be as impressive and amazing
if it actually completed so some accidents happen for good reason
our next stop is quite special and this is where we're gonna see the sunset as well let's go to the Ark of Khiva
I am in the Summer Mosque of the Citadel of the Ark of now this place is absolutely beautiful
just look at the level of work behind me now the tiles in Khiva are majolica tiles they
are not ceramics and they are specifically made where they go you can even see at some
points you know the numbers that meisters put in order to make sure they go in the right
order to make this the right design another interesting cute little detail here is a little
museum right opposite and it's easy to miss silk money they ran out of paper so they started
printing currency on silk I've never heard of that before but that's really cool this
is also the place where you want to come around sunset because I am the king here right no
one around while other places are really busy it's also the place where you will go up the
watchtower to see Khiva in that golden beautiful light let's go check out a few more courtyards
before we head up
and this is the throne room this is where the Khan would sit and you know do important
decisions but do things not to miss one that door that's original and really beautifully
carved the pillars and obviously the tiles
I am on top of the Watchtower of the Citadel and this is the best part for sunset not only
you get to see the entire city of Khiva here we also get to see the beautiful sunset and
some towers over there as well as the towers right behind me
walking around in Ichan Kala after dark is a different experience altogether it's like a little fairy tale town
you don't want to miss this I promise you let me show you why
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he's only interested in belly rubs
like I said never a dull moment here well I'm gonna get some rest and see you tomorrow
morning when we go explore one of the most beautiful Interiors in all of the city
In Khiva I'm staying in a beautiful madrasa that is just outside the city walls
and it is called New Star Boutique Hotel it comes as its own Tower there's one that's
a bit more luxury and that's called Orient Star just right next to Kalta Tower if you
want like a good fun experience I would recommend staying in these two places
every city I visit I get obsessed with one building and this is definitely the one for Khiva
it's so so beautiful it's so magnificent I've never seen anything like this good morning
by the way it's day two and I'm out to explore the Taj Kali Haveli which takes a little bit
longer so I've left it for the second day I've had like half a day left now before my
flight to Tashkent and let's go it is also the place you want to spend perhaps the most
time because there are cute little courtyards The Harem that are quite hidden and it's really
fun to explore I've been with the tour yesterday let's start by the way wake up early because
you know there's a lot less people at this time it's about 8 30 in the morning the gates
open at eight otherwise the place is teeming with tour especially the day trippers from
Tashkent if you're looking for a local guide to show you around Khiva to provide like history
information which I really recommend this is Dada Khan and I will put his name and details
in description and you can contact him on WhatsApp
I'm right outside the Taj Kali Haveli but before going in I want to show you the street
right outside so this is still the old way with like you know cobbled with stones and
uh you can even see the sign the two lines for the cards and the carriages that went
through now the Haveli itself is divided into two parts the men's section and the Harem
or the women's section the most beautiful one is the Harem or the ladies section but
I would recommend trying to get into every whole little door that you can possibly go
in I promise you you will come into a new courtyard that will be even more beautiful
than the last one let's go check it out
this is the reception room and before I show you the amazing tile work and the ceiling
a yurt so in summer they would sit outside in winter they would use the yurts let's check it out now
It is mind-blowingly beautiful and detailed unbelievable
this is what I meant by going through small doors to get to beautiful courtyards
and this is another reception room look at it behind me every single courtyard here is
an absolute stunner and unique
and this is the actual bed of Khan
the doors in most buildings especially belonging to royalty and Khans are quite small this is
not because the people were not tall but because every time you pass through the door to get
to the Khan or their family you have to bow and when you're coming out you just back out
that's the way to do this and this is not a mistake
I am in the Harem the most beautiful part of this entire complex this is the ladies
section the level of detail and intricacy in the tiles and the woodwork it's just mind-blowing
seriously now as you walk in on the left hand side there are five sections the first one
with the biggest pillar belong to the Khan and the four subsequent sections belong to
each one of his four wives this side was dedicated to the concubines around 30 40 of
them now there was a strict etiquette um a strict hierarchy and Khan's mother controlled
the Harem men were not allowed inside actually I don't know if you've noticed but they have
these dresses and you can see two three level of sleeves women would not even show the skin
of their hands to outsiders that's how strict things were let's go explore this beautiful
section and this is going to be the last part we see before we head to Tashkent
beauty comes at a price and sadly Khiva has a dark past now you might think all of this
just cost money but it's more than that was a thriving slave market back in the day and
a lot of these beautiful madrasas facades that you see were built by those slaves when
the concubines in the harem came as falls of war most of the times it is not mentioned
by the tour guides but remember that because you know we need to remember dark parts of
the history along with the beautiful ones so we can have a better future it is time
to say goodbye to this absolutely beautiful city I'm going to Tashkent now click on the link and meet me there
I was told that Tashkent is quite dull and boring and
there's not much to do well that's completely untrue you'll find out when you see the video