ATA-DARVAZA (means
main gate) was the main entrance into the city. In the beginning of this
century it was demolished and reconstructed in its present form.
PALVAN-DARVAZA (gates
of hercules) comprises a 60 metre long passage covered by 6 domes and adjoining
a big complex of religious, commercial and communal establishments. To
the right of this gates at the entrance to Ichan-Kala
was a slave market, which functioned till the year 1873.
MOKHAMMED AMIN KHAN MADRASSAH.
A
madrassah is an Islamic
University Mokhammed Amin Khan madrassah (1852-1855)
is the biggest building of its kind in Khiva
and stands at the Ata-Darvaza gates near the entrance to Ichan-Kala.
The
building has been restored extensively and now houses the hotel Khiva.
THE KALTA (short) MINARET
stands
at the Mokhammed Amin
Khan madrassah near the
Ata
- Darvaza gates. Construction
was started in 1851 but in the following year it was discontinued.
Khan
Mokhammed Amin
who had commissioned it died
in one of his campaigns and his successors refused
to carry on with the project. The Kalta
Minaret, as it stands, has a diameter
at the base of 14 m and height of 26m.
KUNYA ARK (old
fortress). The complex was built in the
18th century during the rule Khan
Arang. It comprised
living quarters, a mosque, the palace of khan, the mint, his harem,
the arsenal and powder magazine, the stables. Only a few of the buildings
have survived.
As almost any
other ancient city Khiva
had its patron saint. At one time it was Shem
the son of Noah.
After the 13th century the people favored another name – that of Pakhlavan-pir
(patron of strong men).
PAHLAVAN MAKHMUD
was
a furrier, who helped the poor, wrote
poetry and was the strongest man in the kingdom.
Since the 12th century he has been canonized as Khiva's
protector. This mausoleum was constructed on the site of his furshop in
1810.
The ISLAM KHODJA
minaret
is the tallest in Khiva.
It rises 56 meters side by side with the Islam
Khodja madrassah, which was built in 1908.
The structure is clearly visible from any part of the city.
The second tallest minaret in
Khiva
was built at the Djuma-mosque
at the end of the 18th century. This minaret rises in the middle of Ichan
Kala at the crossing of two main streets.
One of the most important monuments of civic architecture in Khiva is the
TASH-KHAULI
palace (stone court) complex, which was built on
the order of Allakulikhan
during t he period from 1830 to 1838. There are 163 rooms in the
complex. The ceremonial yards and some of the living
quarters are decorated with majolica facing, mural paintings and carved
ood, plaster and stone.
Other important
monuments in Ichan Kala
include the Seyid Allauddin mausoleum
(14th century), the Anush Khan
baths (17th century), Caravan-serai
(19th century), the Ak-Mosque,
the Djuma-Mosque (10th
century).