Khiva, Uzbekistan

 

Next stop, Khiva. An 8 hour drive from Bukhara lies another little city with its own flavor, including being the part of the country with the prettiest women. (Which I learned from my beautiful female guide who was from there , but was told the same thing in Turkmenistan too and definitely noticed the women had a distinct look.)

Khiva’s Itchan Kala, the walled city, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best preserved and most impressive destinations on the Silk Road. Well-preserved streets, mosques made of baked mud bricks and majestic fortress walls evoke the spirit of the caravans of traders (and conquerors), which once passed through in great numbers.

Founded some 2,500 years ago, this open-air museum is a labyrinth of streets lined with dozens of intricately decorated monuments, most of which date from the 14th to the 19th centuries.

One highlight was visiting a three generation family of tightrope walkers who put on a show for us. But again, the biggest highlights were the ornate tiles throughout the old city.