Juma Mosque

Khiva's Friday Mosque, a hypostyle hall of 213 carved wooden columns, some dating to the 10th century

The Juma Mosque is unlike any other in Central Asia. There is no dome, no arched courtyard, no central iwan — just a flat-roofed hall the size of a city block, supported by 213 wooden columns spaced in a grid, each one different. The oldest are believed to date to the 10th century; others are 12th, 13th, 18th. Some are intricately carved with floral and geometric reliefs; others are plain timber. Light filters in through two small skylights in the ceiling, falling on small constellations of columns at a time.

The mosque's 33-metre minaret rises beside the hall and can be climbed for one of the best views of the old city. The interior is best visited early or late — midday brings most of the tour groups.

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A story
The Juma Mosque, rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century, occupies the same site as a much older mosque mentioned by the 10th-century Arab geographer al-Muqaddasi. When the new mosque was put up, columns from the earlier building were salvaged and incorporated — about a dozen of the 213 pillars holding up the roof today are believed to be the originals, carved more than a thousand years ago and worn smooth by centuries of touch.