Kunya Ark

The Old Fortress and original residence of the Khivan khans, with a watchtower offering sunset views over Itchan Kala

The Kunya Ark is the older of Khiva's two royal complexes, an irregular cluster of mosques, throne rooms, mint, harem, and stables tucked into the north-west corner of Itchan Kala against the city walls. The summer mosque, with a porch of two slender wooden columns and walls completely tiled in blue and white majolica, is the architectural high point.

Climb the Ak Sheikh Bobo watchtower for the best view in Khiva — the whole walled city laid out below, the Kalta Minor and the Islam Khoja Minaret framing the panorama. Time it for late afternoon when the sun sets directly behind the western walls and the mud-brick glows.

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A story
Kunya Ark — literally Old Fortress — was founded in the 12th century but the surviving buildings are mostly 17th- and 18th-century. The khans used it as their seat until they moved into the larger Tash Hauli across town. The watchtower at the western corner, the Ak Sheikh Bobo, is the highest accessible point inside the walls, with a stairway worn shiny by 300 years of feet.

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