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Dishan Kala

The outer town of Khiva, once enclosed by a long earthen wall built in the 1840s; stretches of it survive among houses and gardens.

FortressesOuter wall 1840sAbout 1.5 hours to see

About the place

Dishan Kala is the part of Khiva that grew up around the inner town. Allakuli Khan had it enclosed by a second wall in the 1840s, after raids by nomads, and the wall had a number of gates leading to the roads out of the oasis.

Much of the outer wall has gone, but several stretches and gates remain, rising between homes, orchards and newer streets. They give a sense of how large the walled town was at its peak.

Walking here is a different experience from Itchan Kala: you see everyday life, neighbourhood mosques, workshops and the Nurullabai palace.

Sources (1)

  1. 1.Wikidata

Nearby

  • Nurullabai PalaceEnsembles

    Under 1 km away

    Nurullabai Palace

    The last palace of the Khiva khans, in the outer town, where local carved wood and tiles meet European stoves, chandeliers and mirrors.

  • Itchan Kala walls and gatesFortresses

    1 km awayUNESCO World Heritage

    Itchan Kala walls and gates

    Thick mud-brick walls with rounded towers that ring the inner town of Khiva, entered through four gates facing the four directions.

  • Bogcha Darvoza (North Gate)Fortresses

    1 km awayUNESCO World Heritage

    Bogcha Darvoza (North Gate)

    The nineteenth-century north gate of Khiva's walled Itchan Kala, a domed passage flanked by towers with rooms for guards and customs officers.

  • Ota Darvoza (West Gate)Fortresses

    1 km awayUNESCO World Heritage

    Ota Darvoza (West Gate)

    The west gate of Khiva's Itchan Kala, built in 1828–1829 under Allakuli Khan and the main way into the walled town, between the Kunya Ark and the Muhammad Amin Khan madrasa.