Itchan Kala
Uzbekistan · Asia
About
Itchan Kala (Uzbek: Ichan-Qаl’а) is the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. Since 1990, it has been protected as a World Heritage Site.
The old town retains more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, dating primarily from the 18th or 19th centuries. Juma Mosque, for instance, was established in the 10th century and rebuilt from 1788 to 1789, although its celebrated hypostyle hall still retains 112 columns taken from ancient structures.
Notable buildings in Itchan Kala are Konya Ark, Juma Mosque, Ak Mosque, Hasanmurod Qushbegi Mosque, the madrasahs of Alla‑Kulli‑Khan, Muhammad Aminkhon, and Muhammad Rakhimkhon, the mausoleums of Pahlavon Mahmoud and Sayid Allavuddin, Shergozikhon, as well as caravanserais and markets.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.