Tash-Hauli Palace

When Allakuli Khan came to the throne in 1825 he found the old citadel too cramped and built himself a new palace on the eastern side of Ichan-Kala. Tash-Hauli, “stone courtyard”, went up in the 1830s and was finished by 1841. It contains more than 150 rooms, by some counts over 260, arranged around three main courtyards and linked by narrow, winding corridors that were designed for privacy and defence.

The harem

The harem was built first, and it is the courtyard most visitors remember. Along its southern side stand five tall iwans, each on a single carved wooden column. One was for the khan and four for his legal wives, as Islamic law allowed; concubines and servants lived in the two-storey rooms around the other sides. The walls of the iwans are covered in hand-painted majolica tiles in deep blue and white, with dense floral and geometric patterns, the work of a master tile-maker remembered as Abdullah Jin. The ceilings above are painted in red, ochre and gold.

The courts of audience and justice

The Ishrat-Hauli, the reception courtyard, has a high iwan where the khan received guests and a round brick platform for the yurt that was pitched for visiting nomad chiefs. The Arz-Hauli, the court of justice, is where the khan heard complaints and passed judgement. Both are tiled, though less lavishly than the harem.

Legend

A story told in Khiva says the first architect promised to finish the palace in three years when the khan wanted it in two, and was executed for his answer. His successor took eight years and kept quiet. The tale is unverified, and the dates above suggest it grew with the telling.

Experiencing it

Visit in the morning, when sunlight reaches the harem iwans and brings out the blue. Take time over the column bases, the painted ceilings and the tile panels, which repay close attention. Small exhibitions of Khorezm crafts occupy some of the rooms.