Kalta Minor Minaret
Khiva's unfinished turquoise landmark, minutes from your room
Kalta Minor is the minaret every photograph of Khiva seems to include: a short, thick cylinder wrapped almost entirely in turquoise and blue glazed tile, standing at odds with the slender minarets typical of the region. Its name translates roughly to "short minaret," a description that only makes sense once you know it was never finished.
From HOWZ Hotel's rooftop and upper-floor rooms, the tower is visible above the surrounding roofline, and it is close enough to reach on foot in a few minutes at any time of day.
History
Construction began in 1851 under Muhammad Amin Khan, who by most local accounts intended it to be the tallest minaret in the Islamic world. Work stopped after the khan's death in 1855, before the structure could be extended past its current squat proportions, and it was never resumed by his successors.
What remains is unusual precisely because it is incomplete: the tilework that exists is dense and finely detailed, giving a sense of how ambitious the original plan must have been, while the abrupt stop at the top is a visible record of the project's interruption.
Visiting
The minaret sits at the heart of Ichan Kala, next to the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, and is visible from most points in the old city, so it rarely needs to be sought out deliberately. The tilework reads best in direct sun, late morning through mid-afternoon, while the structure silhouettes dramatically at sunset.
Because it anchors the old city's main square, it is a natural first stop after checking in at HOWZ Hotel and a natural last stop before dinner, visible on almost any walking route between the hotel and the rest of Ichan Kala.
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