Itchan Kala · Khiva, Uzbekistan
Nine rooms, a private hammam, and a table for Khorezm cooking — steps from the minarets of Itchan Kala.
Our Story
“Howz” is the old word for the reflecting pool found at the center of Khorezm courtyard houses — the quiet gathering point of a home. Ours sits beneath two mulberry trees planted when the house was built, in a merchant’s quarter a few lanes from the Kalta Minor minaret.
We spent three years restoring the house room by room, working with local craftsmen to repair the original ganch plasterwork and carved doors rather than replace them. What opened is small on purpose: nine rooms, one table, one courtyard.
Rooms & Suites
Each room was restored around what survived — an original door, a painted ceiling, a view of the minaret. Rates include breakfast in the courtyard.
from
$95/night
An intimate room opening onto the shaded howz courtyard, finished in hand-carved poplar and Khorezm cotton textiles.
from
$165/night
A generous suite with a private ayvan (covered terrace) overlooking the fountain, furnished with restored 19th-century chests.
from
$210/night
Our top-floor suite frames the turquoise tilework of Kalta Minor through a hand-fretted wooden screen.
from
$295/night
The house's original reception hall, reimagined as a two-room residence beneath a painted ganch-plaster ceiling.
The Experience
What we offer is mostly the absence of things — no crowds, no rush. What’s left is a courtyard, a hammam, and Khiva itself, close enough to walk to before breakfast.
Named for the reflecting pool at its heart, our courtyard is where mornings begin — mulberry trees, running water, and quiet.
A small stone hammam beneath the guest wing, with traditional Khorezm soap treatments and warm-table massage.
Private, unhurried walking tours of the walled city with a Khiva-born guide — the madrasahs and minarets after the day-trippers leave.
Green tea and dried fruit served at sunset on the rooftop, facing the Kalta Minor minaret across the rooftops.
Guests may enter the old city walls before the gates open to the public — Itchan Kala at dawn, nearly empty.
Home-style Khorezm dishes cooked to order, from tandir-baked bread to shivit oshi, served in the courtyard or in-room.
Dining
There is one seating, in the courtyard or in your room, and one kitchen, run by two women who have cooked Khorezm food their whole lives. Breakfast is included; dinner is arranged a few hours ahead.
Gallery
Location
Howz Khiva sits on a quiet lane inside Itchan Kala, the walled inner city — every major sight is a short walk away, and the street outside empties out after the day-trip buses leave.
Guests
“We stepped through a plain wooden door off a quiet lane and into a completely different pace of life. The courtyard at breakfast, with the water and the birds, is something I still think about.”
“The staff arranged a sunrise walk through Itchan Kala before the gates opened to tour groups. Just us and the old city. Worth the entire trip on its own.”
“Small, quiet, and exactly the kind of place that makes you slow down. The Minaret View Suite lives up to its name — we watched the light change on the tilework every evening.”
Reserve
Send your dates and we’ll confirm availability directly — usually within a few hours.