Kunya-Ark: a fortress inside a fortress, where Khiva's power lived

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Step into Itchan Kala through the western gate and on your left you'll immediately see a blank wall within a wall — this is Kunya-Ark, the "Old Fortress." If the whole inner city was protected from the outside world, the khans protected themselves from their own city as well: their residence is fenced off by a separate wall and worked as an autonomous state within a state. Let's unpack what hid behind that second wall and what remains of it.

What is Kunya-Ark?

The name "Old" came later — in contrast to the newer Tash-Hauli palace, which the khans built in the 19th century as a new state residence. The story of Kunya-Ark is, in essence, the story of khanly power in Khiva itself: here the rulers lived, received envoys, struck coins and dispensed justice for more than two centuries.

Why is Kunya-Ark called a "city within a city"?

Such self-sufficiency wasn't luxury but necessity: in a siege or a revolt the khan could lock himself inside the citadel and hold out autonomously, with weapons, money and supplies behind his own wall. Down a long narrow corridor a visitor passed through several courtyards: the first for envoys awaiting an audience, then a court with guard weapons, then the court of the khan's council, and finally the largest — the kurinish-khana. The logic is simple: the closer to the khan, the stricter the filter on who was let through.

The city hid from the world behind a wall. The khan hid from the city behind a second wall. Power always builds itself a fortress inside a fortress.

What is the kurinish-khana?

The kurinish-khana is the most ornate of Kunya-Ark's surviving parts: a tall iwan on carved columns, with ceilings and walls in white-blue majolica. This was the point where power became visible and tangible — an envoy who had passed through all the courtyards at last stood before the throne. The throne on which the khans received their guests did not stay in Khiva: today it is held in a museum in Moscow.

What stood in front of the fortress?

It's the same duality that runs through all of Khiva: the ceremonial face of power and its underside stand right next to each other. The square before the citadel saw both solemn troop parades and executions — and a step away, against the very wall, prisoners were kept. The zindan is one of the few places in the city where the history of power is shown not through its splendour but through its cost.

Why climb the Ak-Sheikh-Bobo bastion?

The climb up Ak-Sheikh-Bobo is an essential part of any visit, especially at sunset, when the clay walls and domes turn to gold. From here the very structure of Khiva reads best: you see how densely the inner city is built and how the citadel dominates it. If you have time to climb just one thing in the city for the view — climb this.

What is there to see at Kunya-Ark today?

• Route: from the entrance down the corridor through the courtyards to the kurinish-khana, then the mosques and the mint; save the climb up Ak-Sheikh-Bobo for last, for the panorama.
• Don't miss: the majolica of the summer mosque — its patterns preserve the names of the masters Ibadulla and Abdulla.
• Time: allow about an hour; the best light for the bastion panorama is sunset.

For how Kunya-Ark fits into a walk through the inner city, see the guide to Itchan Kala; the unfinished Kalta Minor stands a few steps away. The wider city plan is in our guide to Khiva.

Frequently asked questions about Kunya-Ark