Kunya-Ark: the khans' old fortress
Kunya-Ark is the citadel and residence of the rulers of Khiva, built in 1686–1688 under Arang Khan (Muhammad Erenk Khan) and rebuilt in the early 19th century. Kunya (or Kuhna) Ark means “old fortress”, a name it got in contrast to the “new” palace, Tash-Hovli, built by Allakuli Khan at the eastern gate of Itchan Kala.
The Kunya-Ark stands just north of Khiva’s west gate. At the end of the 18th century it became “a city within the city”, separated from the rest of Itchan Kala by a high wall around the whole palace yard. The khans of Khiva had several residences before Russian and Soviet rule, including the Tash-Hovli of Allakuli Khan and the Nurullabai Palace of Isfandiyar Khan, yet the Kunya-Ark remained the original one and for centuries a fortified refuge in times of change.
Today the Kunya-Ark is also a stage for traditional music and dance performances and for plays about the history of medieval Khiva, part of the revival of Uzbek culture.
Tours visiting the Kunya-Ark
The tours below all include the Kunya-Ark, usually as part of a full guided day in Khiva.
Four Stan Tour through Central Asia
Discover the legendary Silk Road on this 18-day small-group tour through Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and…
The Best of the Five Stan Tour
Embark on a 22-day journey through all five countries of Central Asia, beginning in Bishkek and ending in Ashgabat. In…
Uzbekistan group tour for Spanish speakers
An 8-day group tour of Uzbekistan's Silk Road cities with a Spanish-speaking guide: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and…
Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan tour
This 15-day tour combines the mountain lakes and nomad life of Kyrgyzstan with the great Silk Road cities of…
Uzbekistan Group tour from Khiva to Tashkent
Follow the Silk Road across Uzbekistan by train on this 7-day group tour from the walled city of Khiva to the capital…
Central Asia in Depth Tour
Enjoy a 17-day adventure across 4 Stans: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, where the ancient Silk…
What is inside
- the throne hall (kurinysh-khana) with its open iwan and the round platform for the khan’s winter yurt; the throne on show is a replica of the 1816 original
- the summer mosque, an open iwan with fine tilework, and a winter mosque
- the mint, where the khans struck their silver and copper coins, now a small museum
- the harem, the latest part of the fortress
- the arsenal and a former prison
Entry is included in the Itchan Kala ticket.
The watchtower and sunset
The Akshikh-bobo bastion in the north-west corner is the oldest part of the citadel. It began as the cell of a holy hermit on a high platform and was later used as a watchtower and gunpowder store. Today it is the best sunset viewpoint in Khiva, looking over the domes and minarets of Itchan Kala. It needs a separate ticket of about 100,000 som (2026). Come about an hour before sunset, as it gets crowded.
Current Kunya Ark palace
The Kunya-Ark held the khan’s mosques and residence, the supreme court, the reception hall (kurinysh-khana), a powder mill, the arsenal, the mint, the registry, the harem, kitchens, stables, a guardhouse and other buildings. The first reception hall, built by Arang Khan, was destroyed in the middle of the 18th century when Iranian troops attacked the khanate.
Today’s buildings were mostly built in the 19th century: the reception hall in 1804–1806 under Iltuzar Khan, the mint under Muhammad Rakhim Khan I, the summer and winter mosques under Allakuli Khan and the harem last, under Muhammad Rakhim Khan II. The courtyards are linked by a system of corridors.
Kunya Ark Darvaza (Gates)
The entry to the fortress was finished with a gate resembling the Palvan-Darvaza. The towers of the gate were earlier covered by lanterns with turrets connecting them to the fortifications. The entrance gate of the Arch was built according to the traditional scheme: in the center, there is a through passage (length – 6.8 m, width – 3.2 m) and on the sides, there are guardrooms. The facade is decorated with a portal with towers protruding at the edges and a gallery at the top. The gate was restored in 1969-1972.
Kurinysh-khana Reception Room
The first building of the kurinysh-khana was built in 1686-1688 by Arang Khan and was destroyed in the middle of the 18th century during the invasion of Iranian troops. In the first small courtyard, uniting the gate, ambassadors waited to be received by the Khan.
Seven guns with gun carriages were located in the second courtyard, and in the third, the Khan’s council gathered. The largest courtyard was entered through a corridor “kurinish-khana”, where a yurt was established in the center on a round platform, where the Khan sat and received his guests.
Heading west for the Kurinish Khana or Throne Room (1804-06), where the khan would grant a public audience, either in the open summer iwan or in a warm winter yurt set upon its circular brick platform. Open-air throne room is where khans gave judgment (if not justice). The circular area on the ground was for the royal yurt, which the no-longer-nomadic khans still liked to use.
The round area on the ground was for the royal yurt, which the no-longer-nomadic khans still liked to use. The small court has beautiful ceiling decoration and geometric tilework, with fine ganch and a decorated mihrab in the room behind.
Kunya Ark Throne room
This is where the khan’s wooden throne, made in 1816 and covered in silver, once stood. After the Russian conquest of Khiva in 1873 it was taken away, and the original is now in the Armoury of the Moscow Kremlin; the throne you see here is a replica.
Other treasures are stored and sometimes shown in the Arab Mohammed Khan Madrasah, the site of the Khivan “Fund”, a collection of some 55,000 objects taken or bought from local people in the 1920s.
Other Khiva sights
Written by Anssi Karppinen, Central Asia Guide · Page updated