7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Khiva, Uzbekistan

Khiva's old town, Itchan Kala, is small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes yet dense enough with intact 18th- and 19th-century architecture that UNESCO listed the entire walled quarter as a World Heritage Site in 1990, the first in Uzbekistan to receive the designation. Its combination of mud-brick fortifications, tiled minarets and preserved madrassas makes it one of the most photographed stretches of the old Silk Road route. Here are seven spots worth seeking out.

1. The Itchan Kala walls at golden hour

The nearly two-kilometre circuit of mud-brick walls enclosing the old town glows a deep ochre in the late afternoon light, and several access points let visitors climb sections of the ramparts for a view back over the old town's skyline of domes and minarets.

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2. Kalta Minor Minaret

Covered entirely in turquoise and blue tilework, this squat, wide minaret was left unfinished after construction stalled in 1855, reportedly because the khan who commissioned it died before it could be completed; its stump-like proportions and dense tiling make it one of the most photographed single structures in Central Asia.

3. Islam Khoja Minaret

At just under 57 metres, this early 20th-century minaret is the tallest in Uzbekistan, its alternating bands of tile visible from almost anywhere inside the old town and forming a recurring backdrop in Itchan Kala's street-level shots.

4. Juma Mosque's forest of wooden pillars

Unlike Khiva's other mosques, Juma Mosque has almost no exterior tilework; its interest is entirely inside, where more than 200 carved wooden columns, some reused from structures centuries older, support a low, deliberately unadorned roof lit only by small skylights.

5. Tosh Hovli Palace's courtyards

Built in the 1830s and 1840s as the khan's residence, Tosh Hovli's series of tiled inner courtyards and carved wooden doors are less visited than the old town's minarets but among its most detailed surviving interiors.

6. Ota Darvoza, the old town's west gate

One of four historic gates piercing the town walls, Ota Darvoza frames a view straight down the old town's main thoroughfare and is a natural spot to catch the walls, a minaret and Khiva's everyday street life in a single frame.

7. Konya Ark, the old citadel

Predating much of the rest of Itchan Kala, this fortified citadel was the khan's original seat of power, and its raised watchtower gives one of the few elevated views over the old town's rooftops without needing to climb the main walls.

Traveller tips

• A single combined ticket covers entry to most of Itchan Kala's museums and monuments; buy it at one of the main gates.
• Khiva is most easily reached by train or a short flight from Tashkent via Urgench, the nearest airport.
• Early morning, before tour groups arrive, is the quietest time to photograph the old town's main thoroughfare.
• Summer temperatures in Khiva regularly exceed 40°C; spring and autumn are more comfortable for walking the old town on foot.