Day 5

Time to start our real Silk Road adventure!
After a short night we arrived at the airport by 5:45 AM for a quick hop to Urgench and a small drive to Khiva.

After arriving at our hotel, located within walls of Itchan Kala, we were welcomed with a cup of tea with biscuits. Time to discover Khiva!

Khiva developed from a well in the desert to the main trading market on the Silk Road. Legend has it that Khiva dates back more than 2500 years.

After lunch it was time to discover the beautiful Itchan Kala complex. Sadly I got a bit ill from exhaustion and wandered back to the hotel. After a quick nap and shower I was ready to go again.

Itchan Kala consists of a wooden mosque, multiple minarets and several mausoleums. Many of the  UNESCO protected buildings house a museum or serve some other function.

To get a great view of the complex you can climb te steep and treacherous Islom Khodja Minaret.

We also went inside the Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum with some stunning ceilings and tiles..

Time to get some dinner at the hotel and have a relaxing evening. Tomorrow we travel by train to Bukhara and continue our journey along the Silk Road..