Itchan Kala
Itchan Kala is the walled inner town of the old Khiva oasis, Uzbekistan. With more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, it is protected as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city presents unique and well-preserved examples of the Muslim architecture of Central Asia. There are several eminent structures such as the Djuma Mosque, the mausoleums and two wonderful palaces dating primarily from the 18th – 19th C.
The most spectacular features of Itchan Kala are its brick walls and four gates at each side of the rectangular fortress, erected in the late seventeenth century. This is the last resting place for caravans before crossing the desert in Iran.
