Khiva — the city of open-air museum
The city is located on the territory of the “Kyzyl-Kum” desert near the “Amu Darya” river. One of the legends about its origin attributes the foundation to Sim – the son of Noah, who created it from a sand dune, and then dug a well – “khivak”, after which the city is supposedly named. Throughout its centuries-old history, Khiva has repeatedly experienced periods of decline and rise, until it reaches the culmination of development in the 19th century. Ichan-kala is the «inner city» (26 hectares), developed around the citadel. It is surrounded by powerful fortress walls (10m heigh & 2200m long), which serve an example of medieval fortifications. Almost all the architectural objects of the show are enclosed within the walls of Ichan-kala, and they represent the historically formed appearance of the city of the 17th-19th centuries.
Historical architectural objects:
- “Ichan-Qala” – 10 madrasahs (of XVII-XIX centuries)
- Juma Mosque (XVIII century)
- Mausoleum “Seyid” – Alauddin (XIV c)
- Fortress “Kunya” – Ark (XIX c)
- Mausoleum “Pahlavan-Mahmud” (XIX-XX centuries)
- Madrassah of Mohammed Aminkhan (XIX c)
- Ensemble “Palvan-Darvaza” (XIX century)
- Madrasah & Minaret of Islam Khoja (XX century)
- Palace “Tash-Khauli” (XIX c)
- White-mosque (Aq-Masjit) (XIX c)
- “Nurullabai” Palace (XX c)
Khorezm Viloyat (region)
Foundation year: 1938
Area: 6.05 thousand km 2
Administrative center: the city of Urgench (1119 km from Tashkent)
Viloyat is located in the northwestern part of Uzbekistan among the desert lands. The territory of the region is a low-lying plain, which is the ancient delta of the Amudarya River. The Khorezm oasis is the oldest center of artificial irrigation. The Amu Darya is the only water artery used for irrigation of orchards, cotton, rice, wheat, alfalfa, grape and melon plantations. On the region’s territory, the river has low banks, therefore, during the flood period, coastal zones are often affected.
A climate here is sharply continental, which causes cold winters with little snowfall (-320С -350С) and dry hot summers (+450С).
In the lower reaches of the Amu Darya, the region’s the most densely populated one and the northernmost cotton-growing area in the world.
The economic activity of the region is focused on the agro-industrial line.
The basis of the agricultural sector is cotton growing and the yield is the highest in the country (early maturing, medium fiber varieties of cotton predominate).
The leading position in rice cultivation and harvesting in Uzbekistan also belongs to the Khorezm Region.
Meat and dairy animal husbandry, astrakhan breeding, and poultry farming are widely developed here.
Known far beyond the borders of the country, the heat-resistant seed alfalfa also grown on this land.
Industry lines are in cotton processing, mechanical engineering, flour-grinding and food. Light industries, sericulture and carpet weaving are also developed.
The bowels of the region contain only deposits of components for building materials.
Higher educational here is represented by the State University, branches of the Tashkent Medical Institute and the Tashkent Economic University.
In X century on the territory of ancient Khorezm on the left bank of the Amu-Darya, near the trading village (kishlak), a small fortress was built – Urgench. Gradually growing, the city acquires the status of the capital, where the goods delivered to along the Amu-Darya and the Aral Sea and agricultural products were exported from along the same trade routes. As a result of aggressive wars and civil strife, the city was almost completely destroyed and became known as Kunya-Urgench (Old Urgench – on the territory of modern Turkmenistan), because in the 18th century, 200 km from Kunya-Urgench, a new city was founded – Urgench . It is crossed by one of the largest irrigation facilities of the region (Khorezm) – irrigation canal “Shavat”.
There is a historical & architectural museum-reserve “Ichan-Kala” in the city of Khiva, located south-west of the region.
The city is a center of handicrafts, and the fame of stone and wood carvers, engravers and jewelers, velvet and silk embroiderers, carpet weavers, and ceramists has long crossed the borders of the region. The products of local skilled craftsmen are in great demand far beyond the Republic.
Khiva is called a “tourist Mecca” – a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world.