Ichan Kala (Khiva), World Heritage Site in Uzbekistan

Ichan Kala means “inner castle” in the local language. Located in Khiva, an oasis city on the caravan route, the remaining mosques, mausoleums, seminaries, and palaces within the city walls are registered as a World Heritage site. The entire city is like a museum, as it has been kept in an almost gratuitous state in Central Asia!

Here, a World Heritage enthusiast explains why Ichan Kala is a World Heritage Site in an easy-to-understand manner.Read this and you will definitely learn more about Ichan Kala!

What is Ichan Kala? What does it mean?

Ichan Kala means “inner city”. Located south of the Amu Darya River in the Khorasım region of southwestern Uzbekistan, Khiva was an oasis city where caravans would stop before crossing the desert to Iran.

The history of Khiva is more than 2000 years old; it was the capital of the Khiva Khanate from the 17th to the 20th century.Ichan Kala is a solid city of 26 hectares, surrounded by 10-meter-high brick walls, with more than 50 buildings and more than 250 dwellings.However, it was almost completely destroyed by Iran’s Nadir Shah in the 18th century, and few of the original structures remain.

The present structure was reconstructed in the 18th and 19th centuries.There used to be many “Ichan Kala”, but only Hiva remains in a well-preserved state.In the town, there are still many buildings that retain their original appearance, such as mosques, mausoleums, seminaries, and minarets.

Major registered components

Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum

Built in the 17th century, the mausoleum is centered on the tomb of Pahlavan Mahmud, a patron of Hiva.The tombs of the monarchs of the Hiva Khanate are also placed here.The beautiful blue dome is impressive.

Juma Mosque

10世紀に創建されたとされますが、現在のモスクは18世紀に建て直されたもの。砂漠に置いて貴重品である木材の柱を多く使用しているというのが特徴。高さ55mのミナレットがシンボル。

Islamic Hoja Minaret

It was built in 1910 by Islam Hodja, the last Khanate minister of Khiva. At 45 meters high, it is the tallest minaret in Khiva, with 118 steps leading up to the observation deck.

Carita Minoru

The minaret stands right next to the Madrasah of Muhammad Amin Khan.The unfinished minaret, which is 28 meters high, remains.When completed, it was supposed to be 109 m. It is said that Amin Khan, the Khan of the time, tried to build it in the 19th century, but he was killed in battle and the project was halted midway.

For what reason is Ichan Kala on the World Heritage List?

Ichan Kara was recognized for

Registration Criteria (iii)
well-preserved city, in that Ichan Kala still preserves the lost landscape of the Khorezm region.

Registration Criterion (iv)
is that some of the buildings in Ichan Kala show the traditional architectural style of Central Asia and the development of Islamic architecture from the 14th to the 19th century.

Registration Criteria (v)
It means that the houses of traditional architectural styles and other aspects of the lives of people living in Central Asia still remain.

World Heritage Mania Conclusions and Comments

There are many oasis cities remaining in Central Asia, but in terms of preservation, Ichan Kala in Khiva is the most beautiful.Although destroyed along the way, each of the buildings has been reconstructed, so it is possible to see the detailed differences in architectural styles.

Although Khiva has a modest image compared to Samarkand and Bukhara, which are famous in Uzbekistan, this one may be more outstanding in its state of preservation as an oasis city in Central Asia.

*The content here is a discussion derived from research conducted by World Heritage enthusiasts. As for the data, interpretation differs depending on the media.