Ichan Kala
The walled inner city where HOWZ Hotel makes its home
Ichan Kala is the walled inner city of Khiva, a compact grid of sand-colored madrasahs, minarets, and courtyard houses that has survived largely intact since the 17th and 18th centuries. It was the first site in Uzbekistan inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, recognized for being one of the most complete examples of a Central Asian Silk Road city.
The whole old city can be crossed on foot in under twenty minutes, but its narrow lanes reward slower walking. HOWZ Hotel sits just outside the western gate, close enough that guests can step inside the walls before the day's first tour groups arrive.
History
The earthen ramparts that still ring the old city date largely from the 17th and 18th centuries, though Khiva's origins as an oasis settlement on the Silk Road stretch back much further. As the capital of the Khanate of Khiva, the walled city accumulated the dense cluster of religious and civic buildings that still stand today, built and rebuilt by successive khans between the 17th and early 20th centuries.
Unlike many historic centers that were rebuilt or absorbed into modern cities, Ichan Kala was largely preserved as a single architectural ensemble, which is part of why UNESCO singled it out: visitors are not looking at isolated monuments but at an intact urban plan.
Visiting
A single combined ticket covers entry to most of the museums and monuments inside the walls, sold at the main gates. Most sites open by mid-morning and close in the late afternoon, so plan indoor visits for the middle of the day and save the ramparts and open streets for sunrise or sunset.
Because HOWZ Hotel sits directly outside the western gate, guests can walk the walls before breakfast, return for the day's meal on the terrace, and go back out once the light softens in the evening, without needing transport at any point.
.jpg?width=700)