The only condition under which I chose a hotel in Khiva, was the location - it must have been situated in the fortress - Itchan Kala.
It's like a city inside another city.
Architectural monument and preserve, was built mostly of clay, or rather of "saman" - it is a mixture of straw and clay.
What beauty was made of this material can be seen from the window of my hotel room.
This is the wall of Itchan Kala.
There are many hotels in Itchan Kala.
If you are going here not in the high season, you don't have to book in advance.
Just come, wander around the fortress, choose the best view and book-in.
In general, there is a large number of tourists in Khiva.
It seemed that there were half so many local residents.
Tourists were from Europe - Germany, France and Italy.
The owner of the hotel is telling about some places to eat.
He and a lot of other people recommend to visit the cafe "Terrasa".
- You can go up to the third floor.
- That sounds interesting!
- There is a panorama of the inner city.
- If you want higher, there is an arch.
- Inside it is the Khan's Palace.
- There is also a balcony upstairs - you can see the whole city.
- You can also get up there to see the beauties of the city.
- This is actually a view from the terrace of the cafe called "Terrasa".
And here is how many people are now in cafe, it is a very popular place.
Lunch for three persons - $30.
Yes, it is nice... Nice food, nice view.
And in the next part we will see what Khiva looks like at 6 am from the top of the minaret, take a walk on the great wall of Itchan Kala, taste the fresh backed flatbread and find out the why is the Khiva pilaf very different from the others.
- Khiva, the first light of dawn.
It is about 7 am now.
So Khiva wakes up.
In order to make these fantastic shots, I got on the top of the minaret "Juma Mosque".
- Here is the minaret from the inside.
- At at the top.
- The views are stunning here.
- People come up here and leave their autographs.
- I don't know, was it the "L'one" or somebody else.
It's too crowded in the afternoon.
The platform at the top is tiny, and it's really hard to get on it, as well as get down.
- It is quite difficult to go up and down.
It can fit maximum two people.
High, steep steps.
The Juma Mosque is located below.
This is a room for Friday prayers.
The mosque is unique - in fact it is an area under the canopy, which is held by these wooden columns.
According to some reports, there are 212 of them, according to the others - 213.
- Almost all of them were restored, that means they are new.
- But some of them are ancient, which are several centuries old.
- Although, to be honest, most of the columns are ancient, not new and restored.
It's an amazing feeling, You touch the real antiquity.
Imagine, these wooden carved pillars have seen more than 10 generations of locals.
- And this, what is put up for sale by the local workers.
Here are the little booties.
To visit the Juma Mosque and any other sights of Itchan Kala, tourists need to buy a ticket.
It is valid for two days, probably because it is difficult to visit all these 15 objects in one.
The price is decent - 100.000 so'm.
But in generally the prices for tourists in Khiva are higher than in other cities of Uzbekistan.
Probably for this reason the main contingent of visitors are the representatives of the Western Europe.
- The first thing you see when you approach the city is the wall of the fortress Itchan Kala.
- It's a very beautiful construction.
- Many are not allowed to get up here, but we are wandering through the wall of Itchan Kala.
The view is stunning!
Height, as you know, on the top and on the bottom is perceived differently.
You think - it's just 10 meters.
But after climbing the wall you realize - there 10 full meters to the ground!
With a strong wind somehow you do not risk approaching the edge.
There are no insurance fences here.
Perhaps because the whole Itchan-Kala is under the protection of UNESCO, which imposes certain obligations.
For example, you can not change the appearance of an architectural monument.
- There is some kind a hole here.
- Well, it is clear,
here were met the enemies.
Loopholes, through which the defenders fired at the attackers.
In the evening from the wall you can admire the beautiful sunset, but it will be in the next part.
We will also learn how different is the Khiva cuisine from everything we have seen before.
Local pilaf, flatbreads on the street, vareniki stuffed with eggs, raw mince.
And we will see a short minaret, a sad camel and many other things.
