Khiva is a district-level city of approximately 93,000 people in Khorazm Region, Uzbekistan. According to archaeological data, the city was established around 2,500 years ago.
In 1997, Khiva celebrated its 2500th anniversary. It is the former capital of Khwarezmia, the Khanate of Khiva, and the Khorezm People's Soviet Republic. Itchan Kala in Khiva was the first site in Uzbekistan to be inscribed on the World Heritage List (1991). The astronomer, historian and polymath, Al-Biruni was born in either Khiva or the nearby city of Kath.
Image: View from the city walls, Khiva (4934484894)
Image: Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasa
Image: Alla Kouli Khan madrasa
Image: Islom Hoja Minaret (8145421671)
Khorezm Region is a viloyat (region) of Uzbekistan located in the northwest of the country in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River. It borders with Turkmenistan, Karakalpakstan, and the Bukhara Region. It covers an area of 6,050 square kilometres (2,340 sq mi). The population is estimated at 1,959,300 (2023), with 67% living in rural areas. The capital is Urgench. Other major towns include Xonqa, Khiva, Shovot, and Pitnak.
Ayaz Kala
View of the central market area of Urgench from the fifth floor of the Hamkor Bank building. In the background the blue and white building of the "Gipermarket", the largest shopping centre in the town.
Khiva
