Itchan Kala
Khiva's walled inner town, a World Heritage site of mud-brick ramparts enclosing mosques, madrasas, minarets and palaces. It is compact enough to explore on foot.
Khiva
Minarets and palaces crowd Itchan Kala, the small walled inner town of Khiva, which has the feel of an open-air museum.
Attractive locations
Kalta Minor Minaret
A short, wide minaret covered in turquoise tiles, left unfinished in the 19th century. It is one of Khiva's most photographed sights.
Kunya-Ark Citadel
The old fortress inside Khiva's walled city, built for the city's rulers and including a reception hall, a small mosque and living quarters. Its tower gives clear views over the old town.
Juma Mosque (Friday Mosque)
A mosque famous for its forest of carved wooden columns instead of a typical courtyard, giving a dim, quiet interior. Some columns are many centuries old, and visitors can walk among them.
Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum
A shrine honoring Khiva's patron saint, a poet and wrestler, with a turquoise dome and richly tiled rooms. It is an active place of worship, so visitors should dress modestly.
Tosh-Hovli Palace
A nineteenth-century palace of the khans of Khiva with a harem, reception courtyards and rooms covered in blue and white tiles, carved wooden doors and painted ceilings.
Islam Khodja Minaret
The tallest minaret in Khiva, striped with bands of blue tile and brick. A narrow stairway leads to the top for views over the old town.
Airports
Urgench International Airport UGC
It is about 32 km in a straight line from Khiva.
Nukus International Airport NCU
It is about 137 km in a straight line from Khiva.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Uzbekistan page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan-2.6 °C9 mm
- Feb-0.6 °C14 mm
- Mar7.8 °C20 mm
- Apr15.4 °C16 mm
- May23.9 °C10 mm
- Jun29.4 °C4 mm
- Jul31.4 °C1 mm
- Aug28.8 °C1 mm
- Sep21.7 °C1 mm
- Oct12.8 °C4 mm
- Nov4.2 °C9 mm
- Dec-2.0 °C10 mm
Driest months: Jul, Aug, Sep. Wettest months: Feb, Mar, Apr.
Costs
Prices here are about 29% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
Police 102. Fire 101. Ambulance 103.
local government
Tourist Police (Department of Tourism Safety)
Helps with: Police units set up to keep foreign tourists safe, based in tourist information centres in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and other cities, and patrolling large tourist sites, stations and airports. No phone is given for them.
Who qualifies: Foreign tourists in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and other cities with such units.
local government
Unified Safe Tourism Call Center 1173
Helps with: Tourist helpline named on the national tourism information site. The site does not describe the service further; its contact details come from the National PR-centre, a state enterprise running the site.
Who qualifies: Tourists in Uzbekistan seeking help or information.
Phone: 1173
Address: 18 Oybek St., Tashkent 100015
local government
Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan
Helps with: The state tourism body. Its contact page lists a main office phone, a hotline and an email, with office hours Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 and a lunch break from 13:00 to 14:00.
Who qualifies: Anyone with a tourism question or complaint in Uzbekistan.
Phone: +998 71 205 06 00
Email: [email protected]
Address: Amir Temur Avenue 17, Tashkent 100084
local government
Police emergency number 102
Helps with: Emergency numbers listed on the national tourism site: 102 for police, 103 for an ambulance and 101 for the fire service. The site advises calling 102 to contact the police.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Uzbekistan who needs the police urgently.
Phone: 102
local government
Ministry of Emergency Situations
Helps with: Uzbekistan's emergency situations ministry. Its contact page lists phone lines 1050 and 101, a hotline 1101 and an email, without saying what each line is for.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Uzbekistan affected by an emergency or disaster.
Phone: 1101
Email: [email protected]
Address: 4 Kichik khalka yoli, Tashkent 100084
ngo
Red Crescent Society of Uzbekistan
Helps with: National Red Crescent society. It trains disaster response teams, teaches first aid, runs blood donation and caring services, and helps reunite families separated by emergencies.
Who qualifies: People in Uzbekistan needing its emergency, first aid, health or family tracing services.
Phone: +998 78 150 81 11
Email: [email protected]
Address: Yusuf Khos Khodjib Street 30, Tashkent 700031
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Uzbekistan
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in Uzbekistan since 2015. It works on migration management, crisis response and counter-trafficking, and community projects that reduce the risks of irregular migration.
Who qualifies: Migrants and migration-affected people in Uzbekistan, including trafficking victims. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +998 78 120 31 40
Email: [email protected]
Address: 4 Lomonosov Street, Mirzo Ulughbek District, Tashkent 100077
embassy
Foreign embassies and consulates in Uzbekistan (official list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The foreign ministry's Diplomatic Corps page lists embassies, consulates general and others with addresses, phones and emails, and was updated 3 November 2026.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.