More treasures of antiquity along the Silk Road will be even easier to admire when Uzbekistan completes its new ‘Immersive Smart Museum-City’ project in the fortified Ichan Kala area of Khiva.
According to legends, the arc-shaped city in the west of the country was originally founded by Shem, the son of biblical “two-by-two” flood hero Noah. Although the story is open to interpretation, archaeologists agree Khiva has been continually inhabited for more than 2,500 years.
Already declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ichan Kala’s open-air complex includes several fine examples of Islamic architecture, including the Kunya Ark fortress, the Juma Mosque (constructed with more than 200 carved wooden pillars), and the Pakhlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum (built in honour of a 13th-century wrestler and poet who became the city’s patron saint). All of these are set to be given a digital boost as part of the new initiative, with new communication systems and retail points.
A new bullet train service connecting Khiva directly to Bukhara and Samarkand will make it much easier to access the remote area, cutting the journey time from Tashkent by half to seven hours and 40 minutes.
Also planned for next year is a new 6.6km ‘Heritage Path’ in Samarkand, connecting significant historical sites.
