The small but fascinating town of Khiva in Uzbekistan stole my heart. After visiting the big sister tourist towns of Bukhara and Samarakan with their impressive architecture and markets, I fell in love with the 2,500 year old town on the Silk Road. 

What’s to love?  While destroyed and demolished multiple times, elements of the historic city have survived to enchant me with its labyrinth of streets lined with dozens of intricately decorated monuments.

The Ichan-Kala (Walled city)  encloses buildings that date from the 12th century, but most of its palace buildings, mosques, Madrases (Muslim theological schools), mausoleums, and other structures date from 1780–1850, when the city  did well as a trade depot and fortress along the caravan routes.

The mud walls are particularly impressive.  These foundations of Khiva’s mud walls were laid in the 10th century and were razed and rebuilt many times throughout history. The current wall was built in the 17th century and is 10 meters in height.

I was on a photography trip so of course, we made our way to the top of the wall to get the classic shot. I enjoyed that and seeing some of the beautiful architecture.  

We stayed in a former Madrasa, and I enjoyed seeing the male guests say their morning prayers while the women looked on. My room was rather spartan, but some of the others in the group had pretty fancy accommodations.  

I loved was getting out early in the morning before the tourists arrived. Here are a few morning scenes to enjoy.  

Typical on the list of places to visit is the late 18th-century Djuma mosque that features more than 200 carved wooden pillars, some of which date from the 10th century. I enjoyed the mosque and playing with the light. 

Outside I hung out a bit in the tourist shopping areas. Plenty to buy but no pressure. I appreciated that. I wondered what was on the shopping list of the little girls in the image below. Aren’t they cute?

We had a chance to photograph some performers.They were friendly and eager to please. I’m including a shot of a typical tourist restaurant. Lovely and one could shop and eat at the same time. Notice the coats hanging off the draperies.

The Silk Road city of Khiva in Uzbekistan is often described as a living museum. It also had elements of typical museums, like the example of a yurt and the opportunity to photograph beautiful ceilings. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I traveled to Uzbekistan with Fantastic Photo Tours.