Islam Khodja Minaret and Madrasah

The minaret and madrasah were commissioned by Islam Khodja, grand vizier to Muhammad Rakhim Khan II and then to his son Isfandiyar Khan. He was the reformer of the late khanate: he championed a European-style school, a hospital, a post office and telegraph, and he visited Russia. The reforms made him enemies among the conservative clergy and nobility, and in 1913 he was murdered, reportedly with the khan’s knowledge. His buildings, completed in 1910, are the last major monuments of old Khiva.

The minaret

The tower rises to about 56.6 metres including its foundation and is visible from far outside the walls. It tapers gently and is wrapped in alternating bands of turquoise and white glazed tile and plain brick, which give it its striped look, crowned by a lantern with arched openings. The viewing level is about 45 metres up. The stair inside is narrow, dark and steep, with around 118 steps by most counts; the climb takes ten minutes or so and is not for anyone uneasy in tight spaces.

From the top you see the whole of Ichan-Kala: the flat roofs and domes, the line of the walls, the Kunya-Ark in the west and, beyond, the green fields of the Khorezm oasis running out to the desert.

The madrasah and its museum

The madrasah beside it is the smallest of Khiva’s important madrasahs, with a modest courtyard of student cells. Today it houses the Museum of Applied Arts, with carved wooden doors and columns, metalwork, ceramics, embroidery and carpets from Khorezm.

Experiencing it

Climb in the morning, when the air is clearer and the stair is less crowded, or in the late afternoon for long shadows across the town. In summer the tower is hot inside by midday. Hold on to your belongings at the top: the openings are wide.