For many centuries the name Khiva has excited the imagination with the images of camel caravans loaded with exotic silk and spices, stirring bazaars, glittering madrasahs, tyrannical Khans and the largest slave market in Central Asia. Brave explorers of the nineteenth century enticed European society with tales of this mysterious and perilous desert in the Khorezm Oasis.
Today, tourists flock to see Khiva – the most homogeneous example of Islamic architecture in the world, which is full of stunning mosques and madrasahs. Its historic center – Itchan Kala has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
