Across the Desert to Khiva

Next on our itinerary was Khiva, another Silk Road city, albeit one I’d never heard of. I wondered how it would compare to Samarkand and Bukhara. 

 

To get from Bukhara to Khiva, we traveled northwest 270 miles, making for the longest travel day of our entire trip. We actually followed the northern route of the Silk Road, which goes towards the (former) Aral Sea, the Caspian Sea, and Russia. In the process, we crossed the Amu Darya (Oxus) River and traveled between the Kyzylkum (red sand) Desert to the north and the Karakum (black sand) Desert to the south. 

 

Beyond the Kyzylkum Desert to the north were the steppes where nomadic tribes lived for many centuries. Nowadays, there are no true nomads. Batir told us that some people continue to live semi-nomadic lives, i.e. they leave their villages with their flocks of sheep and goats in the spring and stay in the steppes, following their herds, through the fall. Before winter, they return to permanent homes. 

 

For the first couple of hours we passed by fields of cotton, corn, and alfalfa. I remembered Batir telling us that during Soviet times, cotton was the only crop that could be grown and that school children as young as 6 or 7 were taken out from the cities to the countryside to pick cotton. Now he added that planes would fly over the rural villages spraying a chemical defoliant to make the picking easier. 

 

The fields eventually gave way to bleak desert conditions. Pink-topped tamarisk bushes provided a bit of color against the sand. They grow where water pools from small rivers that come from the mountains. These rivers used to flow into the once-mighty Oxus River, but now they just peter out in the desert. About 3 hours into our journey, we stopped for a photo op in the Kyzylkum Desert. 

 

The road was surprisingly smooth, much more so than we expected. Batir explained that unlike the roads near Bukhara, the roads in the desert were made of concrete since the desert heat would melt asphalt.

 

Although there is very little water or vegetation in the desert, there are certain animals that can survive in this harsh environment. These include jackals, lizards, snakes, and rabbits. At one time, the Caspian tiger lived in this region but it is now extinct. 

 

Despite the extreme conditions, the desert has some important natural resources, such as gold and natural gas. Unfortunately, for several decades, Uzbekistan never profited from the sale of these resources. The Russians, and later the Soviets, extracted the gold from the gold mines and kept it. Likewise, they took Uzbekistan’s natural gas and sold it to Europe. Since independence, the gas belongs to Uzbekistan but the pipeline to Europe, built by the Soviets, goes through Russia. 

 

We broke up the fairly monotonous bus ride with a lunch stop. We supplemented our picnic provisions with hot dumpling soup at a roadside restaurant. It may be the only place on the road between Bukhara and Khiva that has western-style toilets. 

In mid-afternoon, we waited to cross the pontoon bridge that spans the Oxus River, aka Amu Darya River. It is much less wide and impressive than it was in previous centuries. At one time, the river formed the border between Persia and this region, which the Persians called Turon. Today, the Amu Darya forms the border between Uzbekistan and neighboring Afghanistan. We immediately noticed how the landscape changed once we were south of the river. It was actually green, with rice growing in the fields and willow trees lining the road. 

 

When we saw a group of people picking cotton, Batir asked our bus driver to pull over so we could meet them. We even helped them out for a while before continuing on our way to Khiva. 

Khiva, located at an oasis in the desert, was an important stop on the Silk Road. With a population of 60,000, it is significantly smaller than both Samarkand and Bukhara. Khiva’s historic Old Town is surrounded by two sets of thick mudbrick walls. Dechan Kala, or the Outer City, is the area between the two set of walls. The area within the inner walls is known as Ichan Kala, or Inner City. Kala, by the way, means “fortress.” There are four entrance gates in the walls, corresponding to the four cardinal directions). 

We finally reached our hotel, which was located in Dechan Kala, i.e. between the two sets of walls. It was a sprawling property with a spa, gardens, swimming pool, and restaurant. Many of the other guests seemed to be Russian. 

It was nearly dinnertime when Batir led us on a very short walk to Ichan Kala. Nothing had prepared me for my first look at the massive mudbrick fortifications. These are not the original walls, which were destroyed several times by various conquerors and subsequently rebuilt. The current walls go back to the 18^th century. They are 10 meters high and 5-6 meters thick. Tombs were placed on the outside of the walls in order to deter attackers.

We entered through the South Gate and stepped into a world from another era. Rising above the low mudbrick buildings with flat roofs was the Islam Khoja minaret. At nearly 57 meters, this is the tallest minaret in all of Uzbekistan. The minaret was built in the early 20^th century, but in the style of the 9^th or 10^th century. It’s decorated with bands of beautiful majolica tile decorations. Visitors can climb 120 steps to the minaret’s lookout platform.

Connected to the minaret is the Islam Khoja madrassa. I admired the display of beautiful suzani(embroidered textile pieces) spread out in front of the entrance to the madrassa. 

 

The next morning, we returned to the Islam Khoja madrassa to visit a museum of applied arts. 

museum attendant

 

Before I continue my description of Khiva’s interesting sights, I need to mention that for several centuries, Khiva was part of a political entity called Khorezm. I looked up Khorezm because the word kept occurring in descriptions of things we were seeing and I was confused about what it referred to. Sometimes it seemed that the words “Khiva” and “Khorezm” were used interchangeably.

 

After doing some research, I learned that historically, Khorezm was the area on both sides of the Oxus (Amu Darya) River, with borders at the Caspian Sea to the west and the (former) Aral Sea to the north. It was an important commercial area due to its location on the northern route of the Silk Road. At one time, the empire of Khorezm, centered in Khiva, ruled much of Central Asia. 

 

In the early 13^th century, Khorezm fell to Genghis Khan and the Mongols. In the early 16^th century, Uzbek tribes from the steppes to the north migrated to the area, overthrew the Mongol rulers, and established the Khanate of Khiva. Locals living in the region continued to call the area the country of Khorezm. Its culture was a blend Turkic and Persian influences. The Russian Empire conquered Khorezm in 1873. In 1920, the Soviet government split Khorezm between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan (following the usual Soviet practice of divide and conquer).  

 

So, if you hear about someone with the last name “al Khorezmi,” that means the person was from Khorezm. One famous historical figure with that last name was Muhammad ibn Musa al Khorezmi. He was a mathematician who lived in the 9^th century and is considered the father of algebra. He was one of the scholars we encountered in Khiva’s Museum of Scholars, located in one of the many former madrassas. 

And you may have heard of Abu Ali ibn Sina, another scholar featured at the museum. He is better known in the West as Avicenna. He lived in the 10^th-11^th century and made great advances in the study of medicine. 

Back to mosques, etc. – The Juma mosque is located at the dividing line between the southern and northern parts of the inner city. It was originally built in the 10^th century, and was rebuilt in the late 18^th century. It differs from most of the mosques we’d seen in several ways. Most obviously, there is no decorative tilework. In fact, there is no color other than the natural color of the materials used. The 230 carved wooden columns are the most notable decorative feature. Unlike most mosques, the Juma mosque has no semi-spherical dome. The roof is open in the center, allowing light to stream in. The design may have been influenced by the Zoroastrian faith, which was widely practiced in this area prior to the arrival of the Arabs. 

We saw some gorgeous tilework at the Mausoleum of Mahmoud Pahlavan, a Sufi poet and scholar who lived in the 13^th-14^th century. He is remembered for rescuing many of his people from slavery. The turquoise dome that sits atop his mausoleum is the largest in Khiva. 

 

Another impressive monument was the Kalta Minor minaret, located near the western gate in the walls. It was begun in 1850 and never completed. The minaret’s massive base is an easily recognized landmark in Ichan Kala. 

Tosh Xovli (Tash Hauli) Palace is a royal residence dating back to the 1830s. Its spacious inner courtyard is decorated with stunning tilework. 

It was here that I noted the two intersecting triangles that seemed to be a common decorative motif. I asked Batir about the significance of the design. He explained that this is an ancient symbol of the union of opposites, similar to ying-yang. The upward pointing triangle represents the male force, the downward pointing triangle represents the female force, and at the intersection of the two triangles, the horizontal line symbolizes the child born of their union. I liked the idea so much that I bought a few magnets shaped like this symbol. 

Also, in the courtyard, we met a group of young women who were participating in a government sponsored program to help abused women. The goal is to empower them and allow them to become self-supporting through a combination of psychological counseling and training in job skills. 

 

The Kunya Ark is a sprawling fortress that occupies a large area in Ichan Kala. It was originally built in the 12^th century although most of it was rebuilt in the early 19^th century. There were more beautiful mosaics here, particularly on the columns. The lavishly decorated throne room dates back to the 17th century. 

Our final “tourist” stop in Khiva was at the Nurullabay Palace, located just outside the west gate to the inner city. It was built as a summer palace in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. 

The palace contains very western-influenced luxurious furnishings, including beautiful parquet floors. Batir told us that Mennonite Germans, known for their skill as carpenters, were brought here from their homes in Russia to do much of the woodwork.

We also noted the western-style stoves for heating.

A museum in the palace featured a fascinating exhibit of photographs by Khudaybergan Divanov, the first Uzbeki photographer to document local life in the first decades of the 20^th century. His subjects included the last khan of Khiva, who ruled from 1918 to 1920. 

the last khan of Khiva

 

Unfortunately, Divanov was executed by the Soviets in 1938 (during the Stalinist era) because of his earlier political activities. His photo enlarger, shown below, was on display. 

 

The museum also contained costumed figures of Khiva's last two khans.

 

Khiva was surprisingly enjoyable in many ways. We had an excellent lunch at the elegant Ayvon restaurant during our stay. Highlights of the meal were a creamy pumpkin soup and assorted samsas and manti with a variety of meat and vegetable fillings.

At a different restaurant, I tasted unusually flavorful green noodles that get their color from fresh dill. I was told that they are only made in Khiva. 

 

I’m glad we had some free time to wander at leisure through the streets of Ichan Kala. As I was strolling with a fellow traveler, we came across two couples celebrating their weddings.

Khiva turned out to be a pretty good shopping destination for handicrafts, too. The plazas and pedestrian streets were lined with stalls and small shops selling the usual suzanis (embroidered fabric), Ikat scarves, patterned gowns, jackets, and coats, carved wooden objects, carpets, plus something I hadn’t seen before – fur hats, which I’m sure are quite useful in a Russian winter. 

At a woodworker’s shop, I bought a small cutting board that I now use as a decorative item in my kitchen.

 

Before I left Khiva, I bought a quilted cotton jacket whose bright colors and distinctive printed pattern are typical of Uzbekistan’s traditional textiles.

After a few hours walking in the sunshine, I cooled off with a glass of refreshing watermelon juice.

 

On my final evening in Khiva, as the sun was going down, I joined a friend for a dinner of chicken kebabs and grilled vegetables on the roof of a restaurant in the inner city.

Ichan Kala becomes truly magical after dark.  

There was even a full moon! 

I needn’t have worried about how Khiva would compare with Samarkand and Bukhara. It proved to be a treasure in its own right.