An Old City in the New World

With over 2,500 years of history, the walled city of Khiva in Uzbekistan is a hidden gem that charms the persistent traveller

- MEDHA DUTTA YADAV

As you slowly walk through the narrow lanes of Itchan Kala, Khiva’s Old City in Uzbekistan, it feels like entering a fairy land—a fairy land of beautiful mud brick and majolicatiled architecture. Not many who travel to Uzbekistan make a stop at this UNESCO World Heritage site. People are usually taken in by more touristy places like Samarkand, Bukhara, and of course, the capital city, Tashkent. But visit Khiva, and your heart will stop. It might not have the dominating presence of the Registan Square or the Bibi Khanym Mosque of Samarkand, or the stark beauty of the Kalon Tower of Bukhara, but the ancient walls—Khiva boasts over 2,500 years of history—literally speak to you, in a charming, warm way.