About Uzbekistan

Ichan-Kala Museum-Reserve of Uzbekistan’s Khiva is enriched with new statues
11 April 2022
Ichan-Kala Museum-Reserve of Uzbekistan’s Khiva is enriched with new statues

Statues portraying medieval secular life were installed in the Ichan-Kala Museum-Reserve located in Khiva, Uzbekistan.

The Ichan-Kala open-air museum in Khiva has been enriched with statues portraying medieval social life in the region. The tourist routes on the territory of the State Museum-Reserve "Ichan-Kala" are now equipped with sculptures reflecting historical events, ancient values, traditions, culture, ​​and the social life of the population of Khiva and nearby territories of the Great Silk Road and Uzbekistan.

The current project of enriching and upgrading the museum with new historical elements was implemented under the leadership of the director of the Cultural Heritage Agency Shakhriyor Nurullayev.

"These works of art, combined with historical and architectural monuments, serve not only to enhance the tourists' perception of the past but also serve to increase the attractiveness of the Khiva," quoted by the ministry.

The history and value of the Ichan-Kala Museum-Reserve

Itchan Kala is the inner town of the old Khiva oasis, which was the last resting place of caravans of the ancient Great Silk Road before crossing the desert to Iran. There are several outstanding structures such as the Djuma Mosque, the mausoleums, and the madrasas, and the two magnificent palaces built at the beginning of the 19th century by Alla-Kulli-Khan.

The place of the architectural heritage of Itchan Kala in the history of Central Asian architecture is determined not only by the abundance of surviving architectural monuments but also by the unique contribution of Khorezmian master builders to Central Asian architecture and the preservation of its classical traditions

The Khorezm Historical and Revolutionary Museum was founded on 27 April 27 1920 by the Khorezm People's Republic in the Palace of the Khiva Khan in the Old Ark.

On 3 November 1967 in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 29 June 1969 the State Historical and Architectural Museum of Khiva "Ichan-Kala" was established.

Khiva’s Itchan-Kala is an open-air museum. The old part of the city is surrounded by a fortress of 6-7 meters with a height of 2,250 meters and has four gates. The castle has 53 historical and architectural buildings. The exhibitions of the museum preserve cover the ancient history of Khorezm's territory and its practical art, craft, culture, and literary life. The total area of Ichan-Kala makes 26 hectares.

The city of Khiva was one of the first cities in Central Asia, which was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List on 12 December 1990 and became the 100th city on the list. The museum has 15 permanent exhibitions and features 38561 unique exhibits.

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Did you know?

Uzbekistan is one of only two countries in the world to be ‘double landlocked’ (landlocked and totally surrounded by other landlocked countries). Liechtenstein is double landlocked by 2 countries whilst Uzbekistan is surrounded by 5!

Did you know that Uzbekistan lies in the very heart of Eurasia, the coordinates for Uzbekistan are 41.0000° N, 69.0000°

Uzbekistan is home to the Muruntan gold mine, one of the largest open pit gold mines in the world! The country has 4th largest reserves of gold in the world after South Africa, USA and Russia

Uzbekistan is the world capital of melons. They have in excess of 150 different varieties, which form a staple part of the local diet, served fresh in the summer and eaten dried through the winter.

It is Uzbek tradition that the most respected guest be seated farthest from the house’s entrance.

Tashkent’s metro features chandeliers, marble pillars and ceilings, granite, and engraved metal. It has been called one of the most beautiful train stations in the world.

The Uzbek master chef is able to cook in just one caldron enough plov to serve a thousand men.

When you are a host to someone, it is your duty to fill their cups with for the whole time they are with you.  What you must not do, however, is to fill their cup more than half-full.  If you do that as a mistake, say it is a mistake immediately.  Doing it means you want them to leave.  Wow!  Amazing, right?

To Uzbeks, respect means a whole lot.  For this reason they love it if, even as foreigners, you endeavour to add the respectful suffix opa after a woman's name; and aka after a man's.  Example: Linda-opa and David-aka.  You could also use hon and jon respectively.

Having been an historic crossroads for centuries as part of various ancient empires, Uzbekistan’s food is very eclectic. It has its roots in Iranian, Arab, Indian, Russian and Chinese cuisine.

Though identified with the Persia, the Zoroastrism probably originated in Bactria or Sogdiana. Many distinguished scholars share an opinion that Zoroastrianism had originated in the ancient Khorezm. Indeed, today in the world there were found 63 Zoroastrian monuments, including those in Iran, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Thirty-eight of them are in Uzbekistan, whereas 17 of these monuments are located in Khorezm.

One of Islam's most sacred relics - the world's oldest Koran that was compiled in Medina by Othman, the third caliph or Muslim leader, is kept in Tashkent. It was completed in the year 651, only 19 years after Muhammad's death. 

Tashkent is the only megapolis in the world where public transport is totally comprised of Mercedes buses. And due to low urban air polution it is one of the few cities where one can still see the stars in the sky.

You would be surprised to know that modern TV was born in Tashkent. No joke! The picture of moving objects was transmitted by radio first time in the world in Tashkent on 26 of July 1928 by inventors B.P. Grabovsky and I.F. Belansky.

Uzbekistan is the only country in the world all of whose neighbours have their names ending in STAN. This is also the only country in Central Asia that borders all of the countries of this region

Uzbeks are the third populous Turkik ethnicity in the world after Turks and Azeris (leaving both in Azerbaijan and Iran)

Did you know that there was silk money in Khiva? Super interesting right? Of course, but the best part of having silk money was that it could be sewn into your clothing.

Famous Islamic physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna in the Latin world) who was born near Bukhara was the one of the first people to advocate using women’s hair as suture material – about 1400 years ago.

Uzbekistan has a long and bloody history. The most notorious leader of Uzbekistan was Timur (or Tamerlane) who claimed descent from Genghis Khan. His military campaigns have been credited for wiping out some 5% of the world’s population at the time.

If you have thought that some of the Islamic architecture in Uzbekistan resembles that from Northern India, then that is because Timur’s great great great Grandson, Babur Beg, was the founder of the Moghul Empire that ruled much of India for almost four centuries! Babur’s great great Grandson was Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal.

Uzbekistan was once a rum producig country. There is still a real arboretum in Denau (city near Termez on the border with Afghanistan), grown from a selection station that studied the prospects of plant growing in the unusual for the Soviet Union subtropical climate of Surkhandarya region: only here in the whole of the USSR sugar cane was grown and even rum was produced!

Uzbekistan has been ranked one of the safest countries in the world, according to a new global poll. The annual Gallup Global Law and Order asked if people felt safe walking at night and whether they had been victims of crime. The survey placed Uzbekistan 5th out of 135 countries, while the UK was 21st and the US 35th. Top five safest countries:

  • Singapore
  • Norway
  • Iceland
  • Finland
  • Uzbekistan
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