Citadel Kunya-ark
Citadel Kunya-ark
4.5
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Arang-khan began the construction of this citadel complex in 1686, which contains a house for khan, the members of his family and dignitaries.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
256 reviews
Excellent
167
Very good
72
Average
15
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Sammy J
Haifa, Israel83 contributions
Sept 2021
One of the places not to be missed in Ichan Kola. This is one of the two palaces, winch allows a walk along a place rooms and also a climb to the inner city walls. The climb opens a great view. Allow about 1hour to this part to explore its best.
Written October 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
byryr62
37 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
This is an amazing and spectacular complex. When you first enter, it's a dusty excavation site and looks moderately interesting. Then you turn a corner and you are face to face with an enormous blue-tiled wall that is really spectacular. If you are in Khiva, don't miss it.
Written May 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dirk W
Alexandra Headland, Australia10,147 contributions
Oct 2022
Lots of things to see in this labyrinth, magnificent tiles, carved columns, colorful ceilings . . . Always intended as a self-contained citadel of the Khan, his family and court, the original was destroyed by the Persians in the 19th century. So what we see here is much later 19th century, but it is hard to tell so. In any case, the place blows your socks off !
Written November 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael T
Leeds, UK330 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
40,000 is the sort of price for entrance that you have to pay for a place like this. There are some museums inside the site and archaeological excavations that you can see, but I found the overall experience underwhelming. However, it does make a change from madrassahs.
Written May 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ramadama
New Providence, NJ2,908 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
The old Ark is a must whe visitng Khiva. The tile work is spectacular on the building.
I also loved the thrown room and the summer palace. All are very well preserved
The coin room was a quick look.
I also loved the thrown room and the summer palace. All are very well preserved
The coin room was a quick look.
Written October 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scmp79
Ireland162 contributions
Jul 2017 • Friends
I'm not really one for searching out 'perfect' photo spots for sunrise and sunset, but I would make an exception for this! The walls of Khiva are a remarkable monument in general, but up here at sunset was very very beautiful!
Written January 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kiransfootprints
Gurugram (Gurgaon), India306 contributions
Oct 2019
Not just the beauty but also the serenity and the atmosphere of the waiting areas gives a glimpse of the balance that is inherent to these ancient structures.
Written October 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew M
7,589 contributions
Jul 2019
The Ark is a must visit when in Khiva and is probably the main attraction. It is easily located by taking the first left at the tourist information office on entering through the west gates, You will pass the small Zindan structure to your left, and then the main entrance to the Ark with turquoise topped columns will be in view. A plaque to the left of the entrance states, "The museum of ancient Khorezm". We found it very difficult to find our way around, and probably missed quite a few important things due to lack of signage.
The Ark is said to be the oldest structure in Khiva, originating from the 12th century. The self guided tour includes the summer mosque, reception, throne room, winter mosque and meeting hall. The summer mosque was beautiful, with blue tiled decorations from floor to ceiling and sculpted wooden posts. The mihrab here is unique in terms of positioning, as it faces south instead of south-west towards mecca. There is Persian writing above the mihrab, detailing the name of the architect and Abu Bakr Omar Osmon Ali, who the mosque is dedicated to.
A short walk to the right was the coin exhibition. Khiva was famous for it's mint, and the displays were great, particularly the silk notes and varying size paper notes through the eras. The winter mosque is now the museum of archaeology, but we didn't realise this until afterward as there is no signage. Many of the displays had english translation. We were particularly interested in a painting of Tomyris with the head of Cyrus, which is a famous story in Central Asia.
We then visited the open air throne room where the Khan made decisions in warm weather. This area had three doors; the large for the Khan, the medium for the rich and the small for the poor. If it was cold, as in winter, a yurt was set up on the circular stone area so the Khan could make decisions indoors. We had read that stairs led up to the viewpoint area, and were willing to pay, but had problems explaining this to an attendant, so missed it. We took photos of the Harem upper balconies after a short walk to the right.
We also missed the Ak Sheikh Bobo site, as we couldn't figure out if access was from within the palace or outside. We walked outside to the deck area to the left of the palace, but again there were no signs, so couldn't figure out what was on display here. To get the most out of this visit you will probably need a guide. We had found it so much easier getting around Bukhara, as there were quite a few directional signs. We thought that it was a good experience, but know that we missed quite a bit.
After visiting this site, stroll across the square to the museum of history in the Mohammad Rahimon madrassah.
The Ark is said to be the oldest structure in Khiva, originating from the 12th century. The self guided tour includes the summer mosque, reception, throne room, winter mosque and meeting hall. The summer mosque was beautiful, with blue tiled decorations from floor to ceiling and sculpted wooden posts. The mihrab here is unique in terms of positioning, as it faces south instead of south-west towards mecca. There is Persian writing above the mihrab, detailing the name of the architect and Abu Bakr Omar Osmon Ali, who the mosque is dedicated to.
A short walk to the right was the coin exhibition. Khiva was famous for it's mint, and the displays were great, particularly the silk notes and varying size paper notes through the eras. The winter mosque is now the museum of archaeology, but we didn't realise this until afterward as there is no signage. Many of the displays had english translation. We were particularly interested in a painting of Tomyris with the head of Cyrus, which is a famous story in Central Asia.
We then visited the open air throne room where the Khan made decisions in warm weather. This area had three doors; the large for the Khan, the medium for the rich and the small for the poor. If it was cold, as in winter, a yurt was set up on the circular stone area so the Khan could make decisions indoors. We had read that stairs led up to the viewpoint area, and were willing to pay, but had problems explaining this to an attendant, so missed it. We took photos of the Harem upper balconies after a short walk to the right.
We also missed the Ak Sheikh Bobo site, as we couldn't figure out if access was from within the palace or outside. We walked outside to the deck area to the left of the palace, but again there were no signs, so couldn't figure out what was on display here. To get the most out of this visit you will probably need a guide. We had found it so much easier getting around Bukhara, as there were quite a few directional signs. We thought that it was a good experience, but know that we missed quite a bit.
After visiting this site, stroll across the square to the museum of history in the Mohammad Rahimon madrassah.
Written October 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oldjack
Greater Melbourne, Australia29,074 contributions
Sept 2019
Khuna Ark is on your left as you enter Old Khiva. It is the Khiva Ruler's Fortress and own residence built initially in the 12th century and then expanded and changed over the years.It is elaborately decorated and has numerous rooms and compounds. Inside the Summer Mosque with ornate blue and white tiling is worth seeing.There are some museums including a Mint and money displays over the years. Impressive and interesting part of the old town and worth spending time..
Written September 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cuca8219
98 contributions
Jun 2019
The heat that day was a bit indescribable. You can visit some expositions in the rooms, which are still well preserved or were rebuilt, but, the information you get in English is really scarce and it is difficult to contextualize what you see, specially because you are mostly looking at some nude walls.
Written June 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
what does admission cost or is it free and open to the public?
Written August 1, 2017
did this as part of a tour and I think it was a ticket that covers many sights in the city although if you want to go up to the watchtower there is an extra cost. But really the admission prices to historic monuments in uzbekistan are very cheap for a western tourist so nothing to worry about
Written August 2, 2017
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