Audiotur Legends and melodies of Khiva

If you ask people on the street about the cities of Uzbekistan, the first things you’ll hear are Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Not everyone will remember Khiva. But those who are interested in history will say: “Are you serious! Khiva is the pearl of Central Asia! If you want to see a real medieval city that has been fully preserved, you need to go to Khiva!” And they’ll be right. A journey through Uzbekistan should undoubtedly begin with Khiva, a city‑oasis spread out on the edge of the Karakum Desert. Khiva is a city of history, a city of legend. It has its own secrets and mysteries. The spirit of ancient poets, scholars, and Sufis lingers there. By visiting Khiva, you can imagine what other cities in Central Asia looked like in the past. Here, at times, you can almost feel like you’re in the setting of some “Prince of Persia” film, where a beautiful princess and the treacherous vizier Jafar are in the palace, and around the corner, either thieves in rags or guards with curved sabres are keeping watch — images familiar from childhood from the tales of *One Thousand and One Nights* and Disney cartoons about Aladdin, or a dignified Sufi with a gray beard, wearing a large white turban and a colorful robe.

Old Khiva was the first in Central Asia to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990. In 1968, the inner city of Khiva — Ichan‑Kala — officially received the status of a protected city. And in 1990, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.